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Music Against the No Go Zone 2/2/2012 - International Solidarity Movement - By Rosa Schiano, 3 February 2012, il Blog di Oliva - Every Tuesday we demonstrate at the Erez border crossing, in Beit Hanoun, in the north of the Gaza Strip. The demonstration started at about 11. 00 am. We headed for the No Go Zone. The No Go Zone is an area that extends along the Gaza.... ‘Soul Train’ creator Don Cornelius commits suicide Daily Star 2 Feb 2012 Don Cornelius, creator of the iconic TV music and dance show Soul Train that helped introduce Americans to black pop culture, died on Wednesday after shooting himself in the head, Los Angeles officials said. 'Soul Train' creator Cornelius found dead Daily Star 1 Feb 2012 U.S. music impresario Don Cornelius died Wednesday of a gunshot wound. More than words Jerusalem Post 31 Jan 2012 - Anglo musician Yael Deckelbaum's new album ‘Joy and Sadness’ exclusively features Hebrew songs. Interview: rapper Sphinx on why Egypt uprising had a hip-hop soundtrack Electronic Intifada: 24 Jan 2012 - Alexander Billet 24 January 2012 Hesham Alofoq (aka Sphinx) of the Egyptian hip-hop group Arabian Knightz speaks to The Electronic Intifada about the history of hip-hop in Egypt and the Middle East, the future of the Egyptian uprising, and the role that music plays in the revolt.more No plans to silence The Voice of Music Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2012 - Broadcasting Authority Chairman Gilat and IBA Director-General Ben Menachem pledge support for program. New boss at Voice of Music sparks major dissonance Jerusalem Post 16 Jan 2012 - New CEO's lack of musical background incenses members of the classical music and art communities. [uruknet.info] Close the Guantánamo Gulag Uruknet January 15, 2012 - Travelers to Cuba and music lovers are familiar with the song "Guantanamera"- literally, the girl from Guantánamo. With lyrics by Jose' Martí, the father of Cuban independence, Guantanamera is probably the most widely known Cuban song. But Guantánamo is even more famous now for its U.S. military prison. Where "Guantanamera" is a... “International Zionism Is Strangling The World”: Interview With Jonathan Azaziah Intifada-Palestine: 15 Jan 2012 - by Kourosh Ziabari Jonathan Azaziah is an Iraqi-American Muslim poet, activist, analyst, writer and journalist from Brooklyn, New York, currently residing in Florida. His articles, poems and music predominantly deal with international Zionism and the cruel effect that it has on... more Je t'aime, Jane Jerusalem Post 12 Jan 2012 - Wearing her musical hat, multi-talented Jane Birkin pays homage to French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg Violinist suspended for Israel Proms protest takes claim to tribunal The Guardian 13 Jan 2012 - Call for Proms organisers to cancel concert by Israel Philharmonic Orchestra led to suspension of four musicians One of four musicians suspended by the London Philharmonic Orchestra is taking a claim for discrimination on the grounds... Israel terrifies me Yuval Ben-Ami, +972 Magazine 1/10/2012 The vendor at the Subway sandwich shop on King George Street was the kindest kid I’ve met in years. He kept cracking jokes with Ruthie and me while fixing my sub, praised my choice of meat, and expressed curiosity over the guitar I was carrying. “So do you play music?” “Yup. We’re coming back from a cafe where I played a gig.” “What kind of tunes?” “Tonight I sang mostly political songs.” “Political, you mean, right? Left?” “Left-leaning,” I admitted, having internalized that it’s not okay to say “left” in Israel anymore. Still, I was surprised at Ruthie’s further reservation: “Social left,” she said. The boy’s face turned blank. He didn’t smile any longer, nor crack any more jokes. He handed us the sandwich blankly, collected the pay blankly and handed the change blankly. My attempt at breaking the instantly formed ice failed. We left the cold shop and walked into the cold street. My appetite was gone. The sandwich maker was 17 or 18 years old, evidently from the Tel Aviv area, probably on his way to three years of compulsory military service. His humor showed him to be educated and open, yet openness has its limits. When one meets a monster, one’s defences are activated, and a leftist, in mainstream Israeli society today, is a monster.... more.. e-mail [uruknet.info] The Gaza Music School: A composition in defiance and harmony Uruknet January 9, 2012 - It is late afternoon and in a room darkening by the minute because of an all-too-familiar power cut, Shaden Shabwan, just 10 and a study in concentration, plays a Czech folk tune on an upright Yamaha piano as her teacher wills her to avoid mistakes. It is test day for piano students... A ’60s love child grows up Jerusalem Post 8 Jan 2012 - Jane Birkin is coming to Tel Aviv to present a far-Eastern musical homage to her former lover, Serge Gainsbourg. UAE businessman gets his favorite band back together The National 5 Jan 2012 - For Malik Melhem listening to his favourite band meant not only filling his ears with music but giving the Palestinians a voice. When the group disbanded 22 years ago, he thought that voice had been silenced. But now, with his help, Al Ashekeen are on the road again. Hugh Jackman to work more Broadway magic as Houdini Daily Star 5 Jan 2012 Hugh Jackman, who has recently been smashing records on Broadway with his one-man show, will return as escape artist Harry Houdini in the musical Houdini, producers said on Wednesday. PA police: Musician mocked statehood, so we stopped show Jerusalem Post 3 Jan 2012 - Musician forced to stop his performance New Year’s performance after allegedly mocking PA statehood bid. The elite in Eilat Jerusalem Post 29 Dec 2011 - Renowned conductor Valery Gergiev commands the podium at the Red Sea Classical Music Festival. Culture against normalization Michele Cantoni, Alternative Information Center 12/29/2011 Seemingly innocuous, cultural events run the risk of presenting a distorted view of the Israeli occupation of Palestininan lands. When artists perform in both the occupied territories and Israel, it creates the illusion of a conflict between two peoples, obscuring the lopsided power structures and roles of the occupier and occupied. Artists must challenge and expose the status quo by playing in Palestine and Palestine alone. The perception of Palestine around the world, often highlighted by international media, is that Palestine exists exclusively in relation to Israel. Consequently the Palestinian people, their society and their culture are deprived of being viewed as such - a People, a Society and a Culture of their own. Whoever is involved in cultural activities in Palestine is confronted with the dual and delicate task of promoting Palestinian culture per se without whitewashing the impacts of the political situation there. In other words, it is a matter of addressing both inherent cultural value and cultural resistance. In an article published a year ago in the Palestinian monthly This Week in Palestine, I expressed the hope that some day in the future the presence of music ensembles from the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music (ESNCM) would replace that of guest European orchestras performing Christmas “Concerts for Peace” in Bethlehem. I argued – as I still do - that since those orchestras performed in free West Jerusalem as well as in occupied Bethlehem - with both concerts aired internationally on Christmas Day by Italian national television network RAI - the message carried to international audiences was misleading in its portrayal of a balanced situation in Palestine/Israel. Suggesting that the situation there is a “conflict” or “dispute” between two peoples is in stark contrast with the actual facts on the ground, where one people enjoys total freedom as their highly-militarized state controls all the land, all the resources and, crucially, the freedom of the other. Additionally, a series of physical barriers and military laws is designed by Israel to prevent contact between Palestinian and Israeli civilians as well as separating Palestinians from each other. more.. e-mail David Broza, citizen of the world Jerusalem Post 28 Dec 2011 - ‘I’m trying to get to places where there’s not a chance Israeli music will ever be played,’ says Broza. ‘The mic is stronger than the gun’ Jerusalem Post 28 Dec 2011 - Israeli-Palestinian Hip Hop Band Heartbeat: Jerusalem tries to explore the power of music to build a mutual understanding. Final Farwell: A look at those who died this year. Jerusalem Post 27 Dec 2011 - In 2011 we've said goodbye to actors, musicians, dictators and legends - not all will be missed. Concert for peace in Bethlehem 12/26/2011 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Award winning musicians took part in a "Pray for Peace" concert in Bethlehem on Sunday to celebrate Christmas day. Minister of tourism in the West Bank Kholoud Deibes attended the concert along with other officials, tourists and locals. The revenue from the event will go towards UNRWA programs in Palestine. The.... One Jew’s Christmas Dissident Voice: 24 Dec 2011 - I am a Jew. I don’t mind receiving Christmas cards or being wished a “Merry Christmas” from friends, clerks, or even in junk mail trying to sell me something no sane person should ever buy. My wife and I even send Christmas cards, with messages of peace and joy, to our friends who are Christians or who we don’t know their religion. I like Christmas music and Christmas carolers, even if some have voices that crack now and then, perhaps from the cold. At home, from as early as I could remember, my family bought and decorated a Christmas tree, and gave gifts to each other and our friends. Usually we put a Star of David on the tree, undoubtedly an act of heresy for many Jews and Christians. We learned about Christmas—and about Chanukah, the “feast of lights,” an eight day celebration of joy and remembrance of the rededication...more Following Yonder Star: Massacring Innocents Palestine Chronicle: 23 Dec 2011 - By Kathy Kelly – Kabul Beneath our flat, here in Kabul, wedding guests crowded into a restaurant and celebrated throughout the night. Guests sounded joyful and the music, mostly disco, thumped loudly. When the regular call to prayer sounded out at 5:20 a.m., the sounds seemed to collide in an odd cacophony, making all music indistinguishable. I smiled, remembering the prayer call’s durable exhortation to live in peace, heard worldwide for centuries, and went back to sleep. Through most of my life, I’ve found it easy to resonate with the ringing and beautiful Christmas narrative found in the Gospel of Luke, but less so with that jangling discord with which westerners are so familiar—the annual collision between (on the one hand) the orgy of gift-purchasing and gift-consumption surrounding the holiday and the sweeter, simpler proclamations of peace on earth heralded by the newborn’s arrival. I’ve found myself quite surprisingly happy...more BRIDES BOYCOTT AHAVA AND SODASTREAM Intifada-Palestine: 21 Dec 2011 - Flash mob, brides and all, boycott AHAVA and SodaStream at a Bed Bath and Beyond store in Marin County, CA Words to music by Jane Jewell and Sue Blackwell below… Ode to Boycott Israel, end your occupation, There’s no peace... more Arab Spring puts woman's rights in the spotlight 12/20/2011 - TRIPOLI (Reuters) -- At a pre-wedding evening party in central Tripoli, a group of Libyan women sing traditional songs to the beat of a drum as they prepare to apply henna to the bride's hands and feet. Clapping her hands to the music as she waited for the bride to appear, 23-year-old Sarah.... Paul McCartney to cover songs that inspired Beatles Daily Star 20 Dec 2011 Paul McCartney will kick off 2012 with an album of cover tunes and two original songs, he said on Monday, offering fans a glimpse of the music that inspired one of the biggest rock bands ever,... Assailed on Facebook for Tel Aviv gig, British musician Joker appears to back out Mondoweiss - Joker announces what seems to be a decision to cancel Tel Aviv concer The following report came to us from London Rhymes with Palestine , a musical group that does Palestinian advocacy: Joker, a dubstep [electronic] musical artist from Bristol in the UK, recently announced he... West Bank rabbi hosts female musicians to protest Israeli women's exclusion Ha'aretz - Rabbi Menachem Froman tells the large audience of men and women at the Tekoa synagogue, he sees humiliation and exclusion of women as 'darkness.' mornings in Palestine In Gaza: 16 Dec 2011 - I’ve been waking up by 7 or earlier lately, mostly because I’ve had a number of early morning appointments in Gaza City but also because if I wake before the power cuts I can charge the laptop whose battery, like all my laptops, is almost useless. Most mornings are quiet, just bird calls, rooster crows, and footsteps of children leaving for the 7 am school start. Often, Emad’s father is already awake and fiddling with the series of pumps (and generators if the power is already out) that bring town water to the various tanks that supply the 50-some people in this home. And on any given day the aggravating buzz of Israeli drones or hum (or rush, depending on whether they low-fly) of Israeli warplanes is the elevator music background that all of us wish would just end already. Today, Friday, the kids sleep in but most women rise...more Planting the seeds of resistance and steadfastness in the no go zone 12/14/2011 - International Solidarity Movement - By Nathan Stuckey, 13 December 2011 - We set off from in front of the Beit Hanoun Agricultural College under the flags of half a dozen countries, but listening to the music of Palestine. Every Tuesday, for three years, we set off from here into the no go zone, that three hundred meter strip of death.... Domestic harmony Jerusalem Post 13 Dec 2011 - Jerusalem husband and wife team Michael and Shimrit Greilsammer find musical bliss in the release of their debut album New music service courts tech-averse listeners Daily Star 13 Dec 2011 A simple new online music service will launch across Europe and North America this week aimed at the millions who like music but struggle with the technology to find and listen to it. Reggae star Matisyahu sheds signature beard Jerusalem Post 13 Dec 2011 - "No more Hasidic reggae superstar," musician writes, posting a photo of his beardless face on Twitter, website. This World Ends Now Dissident Voice: 13 Dec 2011 - There is something very timely about listening to Lupe Fiasco’s new mixtape at this point in time. Part of it is obviously deliberate, dripping from the tape’s words and beats. Part of it is also, for lack of a better term, coincidental, the kind of happy half-accident that’s bound to arise when a grassroots movement captures the attention of people around the globe. A few days before Lupe made Friend of the People: I Fight Evil available — online, for free, over the Thanksgiving break — I had cracked open Jared Ball’s recent book I Mix What I Like! A Mixtape Manifesto . Ball, a professor at Morgan State University in Baltimore and frequent contributor to the Black Agenda Report, puts forth a main point in the book that surely isn’t lost on hip-hop’s most faithful: that the mixtape, “rap music’s original mass medium” as he calls it, is one of...more Making airwaves Jerusalem Post 10 Dec 2011 - 88 FM and Boaz Cohen are providing a sparkling musical alternative to nonstop news and pop pap. Israeli women stand up to gender segregation with musical protest The Guardian 9 Dec 2011 - Women sing and dance in central Jerusalem to resist Haredi Jews' campaign The performers were mostly women, as was the audience. On a cold night in the centre of Jerusalem this week, they sang, swayed and... Arab Spring Set to Music IPS The ability of artists to lyrically articulate the growing rage amongst disgruntled youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has seen the emergence of politicised rap as a hidden weapon during the region's Arab Spring. 'Sorry for exploiting Winehouse death' Jerusalem Post 5 Dec 2011 - Israel Anti-Drug Authority apologizes after running ad campaign invoking deaths of famous musicians, most of whom did not die from drugs. Israel's National Library puts collection online Ha'aretz - New website gives public access to huge amount of books, periodicals, maps, photos and musical selections. He’s Leonard’s fan Jerusalem Post 3 Dec 2011 - After years of distancing himself musically from his famous father, Adam Cohen embraces his inner hallelujah. The Israeli professor who dared to pluck the 'forbidden fruit' Ha'aretz - When he conceived the idea of the Abu Ghosh Vocal Music Festival decades ago, Sigi Stadermann, who recently passed away, did something shocking: He dared to expose local audiences to works based on Christian liturgy. Sharing a ‘Common Ground’ Jerusalem Post 28 Nov 2011 - Chilean-born and LA-based singer-songwriter Yael Meyer recently sat down with ‘The Jerusalem Post’ to talk about Judaism, family and musical inspiration. On Shabbos the rabbi stood outside neighbor’s house shouting F-you at his ‘Free Palestine’ bumper sticker Mondoweiss - Rich Siegel Rich Siegel, the musician who lives in a NJ suburb that is heavily-populated by orthodox Jews , says he is being harassed again for his anti-Zionist views. The Teaneck Suburbanite's Howard Prosnitz reports : A well-known local activist for Palestinian causes has filed harassment charges against... EU court rules against web filters to block file sharing Daily Star 24 Nov 2011 Internet service providers cannot be forced to install filters aimed at preventing people from illegally downloading files such as music, the EU's top court ruled on Thursday. All for Peace goes silent Mikaela Levin, Alternative Information Center 11/22/2011 The left-leaning Kol HaShalom (All for Peace--a wordplay in Hebrew that also means Voice for Peace) was on the air for the last seven years. Their studios are in Sheik Jarrah, East Jerusalem, and their shows and music are broadcast in Hebrew and Arabic. On the 4th of November the Israeli Communication Ministry announced to Kol HaShalom director, Mossi Raz, that they were acting illegally and must stop broadcasting. The following day, the police called Raz for an interrogation and demanded, again, that he close the station. Today, Kol HaShalom, a station that defines itself as a joint Israeli-Palestinian project that helps “prepare both peoples for the ‘morning after’ the conflict”, can only be heard on the internet. The AIC headed to the studio to talk with Raz about what happened and to discuss how Kol HaShalom will fight the government’s decision, which some commentators say is an attempt to silence criticism of the Israeli right-wing. What happened on November 4th? On November 4th we got a letter from the Communication Ministry telling me personally that the radio was violating the law and therefore we had to stop all broadcasting immediately. They said it was violating the law that deals with Israelis in Israel. They said that we have a studio in East Jerusalem, which is correct; we don´t think this is a violation of the law, but it´s correct. They claim that people can listen to us in most of the territory of Israel, which is also correct. They also claim that we own a transmitter in the Occupied Territories, which is wrong. We don´t own any transmitter. And actually they demand to stop all broadcast to residents in Israel. They didn´t ask us to completely stop transmitting, just to stop transmitting in Israel. more.. e-mail Under the radar Jerusalem Post 21 Nov 2011 - Joan as Police Woman (aka Joan Wasser) discusses the inspirations that transformed her into one of the hidden treasures of today’s feminine-shaped musical landscape. No joy for feuding New Order members Jerusalem Post 19 Nov 2011 - Peter Hook, a founding member of punk pioneers Joy Division and their new-wave descendants New Order, will be paying tribute to their music in Tel Aviv. [uruknet.info] The Day Democracy Died in Europe Uruknet November 11, 2011 - ...But this is the day the music died for European democracy. It is of course a mistake to choose a single day or event as the day any historical grand process unfolds. But a single day can symbolise it, like the fall of the Bastille. I didn't notice it at the time, but democracy... The Singing Rabbi Lives On Jerusalem Post 10 Nov 2011 - A memorial concert pays homage to one of the Jewish music community’s most influential figures, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. CITYsights: Oud so easy Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2011 - The best of Arabic music showcased at the Jerusalem International Oud Festival. TURKEY: A Rising Influence Among Arab Nations IPS Assurances to women by the winners of the Tunisian elections that they will be free not to wear the Muslim veil has come as music to the ears of Turkish secularists. It was another signpost confirming Turkey's growing position and influence among Arab countries. [uruknet.info] BDS Update: 'Why No UN Sanctions for Israel?' Uruknet November 2, 2011 - The Boycott, Divests and Sanctions (BDS) movement is growing relentless. On the boycott front, Natacha Atlas, who won a 2007 BBC Music award for her fusion of Arabic and Western styles, cancelled a planned concert in Israel: "I had an idea that performing in Israel would have been a unique opportunity to encourage and... BDS Update: 'Why No UN Sanctions for Israel?' Palestine Chronicle: 2 Nov 2011 - By Eric Walberg – Cairo The Boycott, Divests and Sanctions (BDS) movement is growing relentless. On the boycott front, Natacha Atlas, who won a 2007 BBC Music award for her fusion of Arabic and Western styles, cancelled a planned concert in Israel: “I had an idea that performing in Israel would have been a unique opportunity to encourage and support my fans’ opposition to the current government’s actions and policies, but after much deliberation I now see that it would be more effective a statement to not go to Israel until this systemised apartheid is abolished once and for all.” Atlas, who grew up in Belgium, is of Egyptian, Moroccan and Palestinian ancestry and has Jewish roots. She was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Conference Against Racism in 2001, which was boycotted by the United States and Israel, for raising issues about US treatment of African Americans...more Turkish PM Erdogan: Why No UN Sanctions for Israel? Dissident Voice: 2 Nov 2011 - The Boycott, Divests and Sanctions (BDS) movement is growing relentless. On the boycott front, Natacha Atlas, who won a 2007 BBC Music award for her fusion of Arabic and Western styles, cancelled a planned concert in Israel: “I had an idea that performing in Israel would have been a unique opportunity to encourage and support my fans’ opposition to the current government’s actions and policies, but after much deliberation I now see that it would be more effective a statement to not go to Israel until this systemised apartheid is abolished once and for all.” Atlas, who grew up in Belgium, is of Egyptian, Moroccan and Palestinian ancestry and has Jewish roots. She was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Conference Against Racism in 2001, which was boycotted by the United States and Israel, for raising issues about US treatment of African Americans and Israel’s treatment of Palestinians....more Palestinian teens rap out angry politics in Nazareth 10/30/2011 - NAZARETH, Israel (AFP) -- Mai and Amane, Palestinian-Israeli teenagers living in Nazareth, are happy to leave talk about boys and make-up to their peers. They have a political message and they're telling it through rap music. The girls, only 15 and 16, make up the duo "Damar" -- Arabic for "destruction" -- whose mission is to.... [uruknet.info] An "Open Door" tour for Israeli apartheid Uruknet October 28, 2011 - On Tuesday, 18 October, I and eight other Adalah-NY members stood in front of the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, holding signs, singing songs, and handing flyers to passersby and concert-goers. The concert: Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter India.Arie, and "Israel's most popular dread-locked musician" (according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Idan Raichel. Despite one... Why Palestine Matters Editorial, The American Conservative 10/24/2011 As much as “Seinfeld” or grunge music, al-Qaeda was a phenomenon of the 1990s. That might seem an odd way to describe a group responsible for so much terror in the first decade of the 21st century. Yet it’s true: al-Qaeda was an extremist response to globalization that differed from earlier, more successful Islamist movements—think of Khomeini—in its universal aspirations. Strictly speaking the group does not have national affiliates: its branch in Yemen is “al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,” its Iraqi franchise “al-Qaeda in the Land Between the Two Rivers”—i.e., Mesopotamia. Dressed in older Islamic rhetoric, this transnationalist organization is in fact very modern, and that has proved its weakness. For even extremists prefer to fight for local causes: tribe, sect, village, and indeed nation. Iraqis rejected bin Laden’s grandiose vision even as they resisted American occupation, while the Taliban, in contrast to bin Laden, are nothing if not rooted. Think of al-Qaeda’s dream of a worldwide Caliphate as exactly parallel to the “unipolar moment” and “end of history” delusions common to neoconservatives and neoliberals in the Clinton era. But if this is so, how has al-Qaeda been able to find any followers at all—and how did it recruit foreign fighters to the cities and countryside of Iraq and Afghanistan? The answer is found in the occupied lands of Palestine, where for some 20 years television cameras have broadcast the plight of Arab refugees under Israeli rule. The images have outraged opinion across the Islamic world and have proved a uniquely potent tool for converting angry, aimless young men into violent radicals. Until the invasion of Iraq, no footage like it existed to illustrate bin Laden’s claims of American or European hostility. more.. e-mail Dissident Voicing Dissident Voice: 27 Oct 2011 - A protest sign in NYC, “FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I FEEL AT HOME .” Home is Liberty Park, a 33,000-square-foot plot where hundreds have camped nightly for over a month. During the day, they march together, their bodies merged into a common thrust, while at night, they lie together . Some are barely covered, while others are entirely wrapped, like collateral damage of yet another stupid war. Be careful or you’ll step on an arm, leg or even head. In a country of walls and locked doors, where even infants have private domains, there are no barriers here. With everyone exposed, and no TV to distract, conversation comes more readily. Here, no canned music slops over each dialogue or interior monologue. Here, all crazy, percussive rhythms and melodies must be generated by living muscles and breaths. Here, all faces are real all the time, with none beamed from...more French Musicians Play “Music Beyond Walls†in Palestine PNN - PNNThe French musical group Swing Gadje rounded up a successful two-week visit to Palestine with ten performances, including a show in Bethlehem’s Aida refugee camp. The group made its visit in cooperation... Mind Over Media: The End of Newspapers Dissident Voice: 25 Oct 2011 - (On the set of WTFN’s new public affairs show Mind over Media , host Romana Clay is seated at a kidney-shaped table around which are large mock-ups of various newspapers and web pages. Over her right shoulder is a wall-mounted TV monitor. The theme music starts up over the opening titles and the director points to Clay, who looks directly into the camera. ) Romana Clay: Welcome to Mind over Media , where the news is news. I’m Romana Clay. As should be obvious to anyone, the Internet has supplanted newspapers as the primary source of news for increasing numbers of people. Last year, a survey by the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism found that 41% of respondents chose the Internet as their primary news source, whereas a mere 10% chose a newspaper. The proportion was highest, as might be expected, among people aged 18 to 29. But is this decline in...more Democratic Learning/Action Communities Dissident Voice: 20 Oct 2011 - Occupy Wall Street gatherings on October 15 at around 1500 sites in some 80 countries revealed a global uprising for building democratic learning and action communities. People were joyous to be together in streets and parks, on church steps, outside banks, and elsewhere—playing music, chanting, and exercising their freedoms. They sat in circles, paraded around with bands, and fed each other in dramatic outpourings of anger, aspiration, feelings, energy, humor, yearning, and wisdom. Creative signs were displayed at the Occupy Santa Rosa gatherings in Northern California outside City Hall, which I attended on October 15, 16, and 17. For example, pink-clad, three-year-old Liliana Averill described her sign as “a love heart because I love my mom and my dad,” who is apparently unemployed. Her older, also pink-clad sister Jasmine sported a “Big Sister” t-shirt and a “Be Good” sign. These are among the many essential and diverse messages of this...more Israeli singer Arik Einstein dedicates ballad to Gilad Shalit Ha'aretz - One of Israel’s music giants has recorded a song honoring abducted soldier Gilad Shalit's return to Israel after over five years in captivity in Gaza. News in Brief Ha'aretz - Daniel Barenboim to take over as La Scala musical director; Suspects nabbed in Safed ‘Death to Jews’ graffiti; Cyclists to shut down Tel Aviv traffic for annual bike ride. [uruknet.info] Gaza musicians find themselves confined to stag parties Uruknet October 13, 2011 - Iyad Zumlot looked cheerful as he welcomed male spectators in the street next to his home in the al Falluja neighborhood of Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. The next day was the 23-year-old pianist's wedding; and he was receiving people for the traditional party Gazan grooms hold on the eve of... Gaza musicians find themselves confined to stag parties Electronic Intifada: 13 Oct 2011 - Rami Almeghari The Electronic Intifada Gaza City Amidst the ongoing Israeli blockade and an increasingly conservative socio-political atmosphere, musicians in the Gaza Strip face a myriad of performance obstacles.more Musical Chairs: Iranian diplomat sits in Israel's IAEA seat YNet News, 7 Oct 2011 - WASHINGTON – The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize Israel in any way, referring to it at best as "that Zionist entity," but sometimes, even Iranian diplomats ... .... Getting Ready for Occupy Austin Dissident Voice: 6 Oct 2011 - My Tuesday evening walk to the General Assembly of Occupy Austin begins near 5th St. and Colorado as I enter the fashionable warehouse district occupied by restaurants where I cannot afford to eat. Signs on the sidewalk offer valet parking. A rooftop club shares music that puts you in the mood to party. By the time I get to 2nd St, better known these days as Willie Nelson Blvd, sidewalk dining is in full buzz. At 6:30 pm the temperature is sliding down into the 70’s, and the atmosphere could not be more perfect for a gourmet pizza with salad, wine, and schmooze. This newly-developed high-rise section of downtown Austin has got to be one of the more fortunate neighborhoods in the history of the world. At the corner of Willie Nelson and Lavaca, sidewalk tables hug the plate glass windows of a coffee shop leased out from the backside...more Video: 'Punk Jews' in New York Jerusalem Post 29 Sep 2011 - A community of artists, activists, and musicians express their Jewish identity in unique and unconventional ways in New York. Video: Neshama Carlebach, music and soul Jerusalem Post 29 Sep 2011 - Since the age of 5 Neshama knew she was destined to sing; today she lives in New York, performs around the world, and raises a family. Exclusive Video: Punk Jews Jerusalem Post 29 Sep 2011 - A community of artists, activists, and musicians express their Jewish identity in unique and unconventional ways in New York. Exclusive Video: Neshama Carlebach, music and soul Jerusalem Post 29 Sep 2011 - Since the age of 5 Nashama knew she was destined to sing; today she lives in New York, performs around the world, and raises a family. Putin-Medvedev: Premier Musical Chairs Palestine Chronicle: 28 Sep 2011 - By Eric Walberg Russian President Dmitri Medvedev's nomination of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as Russia's pretender to the throne and Putin’s promise to keep his friend as premier was hardly a surprise. All along, except to a few starry-eyed liberals, it was clear, that the buck stopped not with Medvedev but Putin. The liberals were given their chance by Russia’s ex-KGB autocrat and failed spectacularly. Medvedev’s claims to fame have been cosmetic or at best fiddling, starting with the faulty restart button with US President Barack Obama, proceeding through a series of giveaways, – allowing US troop and materiel to transit Russia to Afghanistan, leaving in place various US bases in Russia’s “near abroad”, acceding to the US-sponsored missile defence shield on its borders, and ending with Medvedev’s abstention on UN Resolution 1973 allowing the recolonisation of Libya. All his talk about domestic reforms and a new European face for...more WATCH / Israeli musician amazes judges on Dutch musical reality show Ha'aretz - 'In one and a half minutes you've outdone every performance I've ever been to… Leave everything and get into the music industry,' says one 'The Voice' judge to singer and pianist Guy Barzily. Gilad Atzmon, antisemitism and the left | Andy Newman The Guardian 25 Sep 2011 - The Palestinian cause is hindered, not helped, when the left fails to notice or confront anti-semitism Gilad Atzmon is a world renowned jazz musician , and a former soldier in the Israeli army, so his advocacy of... Border anxiety in the West Bank Mondoweiss - The anxiety hit when I least expected it tonight. We had finished a traditional meal in an organic restaurant in Bir Zeit that was playing techno music, then were walking up the narrow stone road in the old city, under a clear starlit sky, when my... For love of singing, Sleiman marries her faith and music Daily Star 23 Sep 2011 While she follows her religion with devotion, singer and musician Hana Sharaniq Sleiman does not follow what she describes as the customs and traditions in a patriarchal society that do not favor a woman singing. Mike Leigh, AL Kennedy, Mark Wallinger speak out for the LPO Four The Guardian 22 Sep 2011 - Writers, film-makers, artists and academics 'dismayed' at suspension of four musicians, and urge the London Philharmonic Orchestra to reconsider A letter to the Telegraph (scroll down) expresses what so many people in the audience at the... Palestinian embassy holds cultural day in Ireland 9/20/2011 - DUBLIN, Ireland (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian embassy in Dublin held a cultural day on Saturday, showcasing Palestinian dress, food, films, music and dance. Assisted by the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union and Sadaka - The Ireland Palestine Alliance, the embassy organized the day as a reminder of Palestinians' right to live freely on.... Angola: Israeli Musician Performs in Schools, Sheltering Centres allAfrica.com 20 Sep 2011 - The Israeli singer and pianist, Nir Brandt performs from 20 to 24 September in Luanda a series of shows in some schools and centres for needy children. Suspension of orchestra members could set dangerous precedent The Guardian 18 Sep 2011 - Whatever one feels about cultural boycotts (I am almost always opposed), it was astonishing to read ( Report , 17 September) that the LPO has suspended four musicians for signing a letter to the press that urged a... iTunes categorizes Jewish music as ‘Christian & Gospel' Jerusalem Post 17 Sep 2011 - Apple's iTunes doesn't seems to have a separate category for Jewish, hassidic melodies. Rotblit’s reward Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 - An impressive roster of acclaimed local musicians perform in tribute to beloved singer/songwriter Yankele Rotblit. Orchestra suspends four musicians who opposed Israeli musicians' concert The Guardian 16 Sep 2011 - London Philharmonic Orchestra punishes cellist and violinists who wanted Proms appearance by Israeli players cancelled The London Philharmonic Orchestra has suspended four musicians for nine months for using its name when they called unsuccessfully for the... Grapevine: Asia beckons Jerusalem Post 13 Sep 2011 - Sali Ariel, Yaakov Kirschen travel to Singapore, Gil Shohat conducts Holocaust memorial musical, Jabotinsky Institute hosts a tribute to Yitzhak Shamir. Daphne and Itzik Palestine Chronicle: 9 Sep 2011 - By Uri Avnery It sounds like the title of a romantic movie. 'Daphne, Itzik and all the Others'. It starts off with a friendship between two youngsters, he in his early thirties, she in her mid twenties. Then they quarrel. He leaves. She remains. The audience knows exactly what it wants: it wants the two to reunite, kiss, marry and walk arm-in-arm into the sunrise, to the accompaniment of a soft melody. As for the actors, they are perfect. They both play themselves. Hollywood’s Central Casting couldn’t have done better. She is an attractive young woman, wearing a man’s hat for easy recognition. He is the Israeli young male, vaguely handsome, easily recognizable by his nose. The story starts with Daphne Leef, an editor of short films, daughter of a composer, unable to rent an apartment in Tel Aviv. She is fed up. She announces on Facebook that she is...more The Devil Writes a Handbook: ’The Responsibility to Protect’ (2002) Color Revolutions and Geopolitics 9/1/2011 Editors' introduction: The "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P) doctrine is a diabolical bit of psychological wizardry; a conceptual Trojan Horse designed to advance the cause of global governance on a moral platform. The purpose of the doctrine is to achieve legitimacy and legality toward the justification of wars of aggression against non-threatening nation-states. Strumming on emotional chords, a new music has been composed, helping power-hungry aggressors to gain entry into territories of otherwise reluctant sovereign states. Although every war in history has been accompanied by a multifaceted sales pitch--either fear, greed, ideology or religion; even appeals for a better world--the R2P war is now waged with the exclusive appeal to "help" the helpless; to "save" people's lives. It is a media war; a war for the hearts and minds. If only these altruistic appeals could be considered trustworthy; if only the claims of 'genocide' could be verified. They are not. That the establishment media maintains for the public a near-total ignorance pertaining to matters of substance, a platform is laid for these wars to continue. New legal norms are now being established without adequate knowledge, public participation or debate. The situation is so bizarre, in fact, that those opposing the current Libyan aggression have frequently and irresponsibly been painted as advocates of dictators or tyrants. This is modern democracy at its finest. Orwell himself wasn't so bold a visionary. One notable aspect of the following article (transcribed from a 2002 issue of the Council on Foreign Relations' bi-monthy magazine, Foreign Affairs) is that it draws immediate attention to the amount of time that has been spent--largely in darkness--bringing this obscure globalist concept to fruition. Only this year, in 2011, did the world witness its first UN-sponsored R2P war (and many have yet to notice it still). In the article below, however, we see outlines of a 'Libyan operation' years in advance. In the article below we read of a blueprint that conveniently allows for a rush to judgment; that's loaded with feigned compassion; that's full of gaping legal loopholes; and that prefers exclusivity of those empowered to decide and enforce its dictates.... more.. e-mail Asaf Avidan comes back to his true love to perform Jerusalem Post 6 Sep 2011 - After sharing the stage with Robert Plant and Bob Dylan, Jerusalem-born musician comes home for a performance at the Tower of David. Letters: Discord over Israeli Prom protest The Guardian 6 Sep 2011 - The protesters who disrupted the Prom by the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta ( Report , 2 September) are not only guilty of cultural hooliganism, but are deeply misguided. As musicians, the Israel Philharmonic and Maestro Mehta are... Iranian police arrest water pistol 'rebels' Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 - Water fights break out across Iran in what conservatives call Western attempt to conduct "soft war" to corrupt youth through TV, pop music. The end of civilization: no ‘dignity’ in remaining silent at BBC Proms Mondoweiss - In a Guardian review of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) at the BBC Proms, and referring to the boycott protests that disrupted their concert in London's Royal Albert Hall on Thursday, classical music critic Erica Jeal praises IPO conductor, Zubin Mehta, as 'the model of composure'.... IRAN: Music Finds a Voice in Tehran IPS The waiter at the coffee shop moves rapidly to the entrance for a quick glance outside. Within, a young Iranian musician has started to play the saxophone. He has five minutes to perform, he cannot risk a raid on the "guerrilla" location for a little music. Ralph Nader: 10 Painful Lessons of 9/11 Palestine Chronicle: 31 Aug 2011 - By Ralph Nader The commemorative ceremonies that are planned for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 massacre are those of pathos for the victims and their families, of praise for both the pursuit of the supporters of the attackers and the performance of first responders and our soldiers abroad. Flags and martial music will punctuate the combined atmosphere of sorrow and aggressive defiance to those terrorists who would threaten us. These events will be moments of respectful silence and some expressions of rage and ferocity. But many Americans might also want to pause to recognize — or unlearn — those reactions and overreactions to 9/11 that have harmed our country. How, in this forward-looking manner, can we respect the day of 9/11? Here are some suggestions: 1. Do not exaggerate our adversaries' strength in order to produce a climate of hysteria that results in repression of civil liberties, embodied in...more Prayer in Tel Aviv Jerusalem Post 26 Aug 2011 - A new CD, with the music of Beit Tefilah Israeli, conveys the experience of the Kabalat Shabbat Service at the Tel Aviv Port. Music Festival: Pride at the piano Jerusalem Post 26 Aug 2011 - With his love for music, pianist Denis Kozhukhin is constantly widening his repertoire. British, U.S. donors step in to help IDF hear the (classical) music Ha'aretz - Benjamin Goodman a British pianist together with a group of donors introduces classical music to the IDF, starting a concert series for soldiers. Far-right American broadcaster seeks to reinforce Israeli occupation Middle East Monitor 26 Aug 2011 - A speech by an extreme right-wing American broadcaster has sought to reinforce Israel's occupation of Jerusalem. Glenn Beck's polemic was part of a programme which included musical performances in the Umayyad Palaces area adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the time for prayers. The programme was condemned... Southern con boss held in connection with Tzanani probe Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2011 - Shalom Donrani suspected of being involved with alleged extortion of music agent by singer Margalit Tzanani. Deafening Beirut noise problem poses health risk Daily Star 24 Aug 2011 As a taxi goes past a nightclub blasting music, the driver honks loudly to make sure potential customers hear him. Meanwhile passersby have their mobile phone volumes on high to make sure they can hear any... Qalqiliya police arrest 3 for public disorder violations 8/23/2011 - QALQILIYA (Ma'an) -- Police arrested three people accused of public disorder violations on Monday in Qalqiliya. The suspects were arrested for speeding and listening to loud music and two cars were impounded, police said. Head of Qalqiliya district police Musa Yadik said the suspects would face legal proceedings.... The wards are alive with the sound of music Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2011 - Contestants taking part in "Hallelujah," a global song contest for Jews aged 16 to 26, perform for children at Safra Children's Hospital. ‘That’s How Every Empire Falls’ Tikun Olam - Way back in the dark ages when I first began writing this blog, I called it an mp3 blog and featured some of my favorite music from around the world. Those posts and songs are still here, though they’ve been subsumed under thousands of posts about... Iraqi youth find new outlet in rap AlJazeera 13 Aug 2011 - By combining folklore with western-style beats, Iraqi youth have created their own form of hip-hop music. South Tel Aviv social protest camp celebrates inter-ethnic solidarity Ha'aretz - African music concert hastily organized in Levinsky Park to welcome return of key Ethiopian-Israeli activist arrested Tuesday. Conductor Barenboim to be Nobel nominee 8/11/2011 - BUENOS AIRES (AFP) -- Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim will be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for using music to bring peace to the Middle East, supporters announced Wednesday. An official announcement about the 69-year-old musician's nomination will take place on August 17 at the Academia Argentina de Letras language academy in Buenos.... Savage murder of musician Ibrahim Qattush shows Syria’s dictatorship is brutish, uncouth, macabre Mondoweiss - Beautiful piece on Syria by Rana Kabbani in the Guardian. What an amazing transformation Syria is undergoing, and more and more people say, Assad is finished. It is only a matter of how long and how much cruelty he subjects his society to. Makes Mubarak's "no-mas"... WATCH: Netanyahu comments on protests get music remix Ha'aretz - Noy Alooshe use comments by the prime minister claiming that there would be no protests in Israel and mixes them with footage of Israelis taking to the streets en masse over the spiraling cost of living Music guides peaceful resistance in Kufr Qaddoum 8/1/2011 - International Solidarity Movement - International Solidarity Movement, West Bank - On Friday July 29, 2011 the Popular Committee of Kufr Qaddoum included musical guests from the Netherlands, Fanfare, to play for Kufr Qaddoum's weekly demonstration against a roadblock that closes off the main road to the village. The demonstration began around 1:30pm after Friday morning prayer. Dressed in an array of.... Israeli Army Attacks Dutch Music Orchestra with Tear Gas PNN - Nablus - PNN - The Dutch street orchestra 'Fanfare van de Eerste Liefdesnacht' (the First Night of Love Brass Band) from Amsterdam was attacked with tear gas today by the Israeli army... Popular musician briefly detained for defaming president Palestine Note 28 Jul 2011 - The Los Angeles Times- Zeid Hamdan, 35, singer, composer and producer in the Lebanese band Zeid and the Wings was briefly imprisoned Wednesday morning for defaming Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in his single "General Suleiman." (Please visit the site to... Lebanese outcry after belly dancer performs with Israelis Jerusalem Post 28 Jul 2011 - Outcry ensues after dancer raises Lebanese, Israeli flags in front of 90,000 at French music festival. Dance with the devil: an Israeli orchestra in Bayreuth The Guardian 26 Jul 2011 - Today, an Israeli orchestra will be the first ever to perform at Bayreuth. Stephen Moss talks to the musicians risking controversy The hot ticket in Bayreuth on Tuesday will not be Die Meistersinger in the Festspielhaus ,... Germany opens taboo-shattering Wagner festival 7/25/2011 - BAYREUTH, Germany (AFP) -- Germany's 100th Wagner opera festival kicked off here Monday in an edition that will include a taboo-busting performance by an Israeli orchestra. The annual tribute to the works of the 19th-century composer, a fervent anti-Semite who later inspired Nazi leaders, will include for the first time a concert by musicians.... Israeli orchestra to play Wagner BBC 25 Jul 2011 - The Israeli Chamber Orchestra will break with tradition to play a work by Hitler's favourite composer, Richard Wagner, at a festival in Germany. Israeli musicians in row over Wagner performance 7/24/2011 - BERLIN (AFP) -- The Israel Chamber Orchestra, set to perform in Bayreuth on Tuesday a work by Richard Wagner, the composer revered by the Nazis, are not on a "political mission," director Roberto Paternostro said. The ensemble will play the Bavarian town in a performance coinciding with the popular Bayreuth Festival celebrating Wagner's music.... Israeli orchestra makes musical history by playing Wagner piece in Germany Ha'aretz - The heads of the ensemble decided not to rehearse the piece in Israel, out of consideration for the public dispute over performing Wagner's work in the country. Israel Orchestra confronts taboo at Wagner shrine Jerusalem Post 24 Jul 2011 - Performance will be first Israeli group to play Wagner in Germany; conductor says it's time to separate Wagner's music from his worldview. Israeli orchestra to perform Wagner in Germany at Bayreuth opera festival The Guardian 24 Jul 2011 - Israel Chamber Orchestra will play Siegfried Idyll, challenging seven-decade taboo surrounding composer's antisemitic links The Israel Chamber Orchestra will play a work by Richard Wagner, Hitler's favourite composer, in Germany on Tuesday, challenging a seven-decade taboo.... Dutch Band Brings Music to Palestinian Streets PNN - PNN Exclusive /By Liza Oliver - Dutch band, De Fanfare van de Eerste Lief des Nacht (the First Night of Love Brass Band) performed in the streets of Beit Sehour Saturday night,... AIC Culture is Resistance! Week Opens in West Bank Alternative Information Center 7/6/2011 The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is profoundly cultural,” explained Nassar Ibrahim, Director of the Alternative Information Center at the opening ceremony of the AIC’s Culture is Resistance! Week on Tuesday evening. “It is the clash of two narratives. The Israelis are occupying not just our land, but our language, our space, confiscating the memory of our stones. Confiscating our culture and adapting it for their own. Our political work would be missing something if we didn’t also work in culture,” Ibrahim added. Held under the auspices of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture and the Beit Sahour Municipality, the AIC Culture is Resistance! Week explores through theatre, art, music, photography, poetry, literature and cinema, the dimensions and connections between culture and resistance to Israeli colonialism. Over 100 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals attended yesterday’s opening event, which was opened with a warm welcome from Beit Sahour Mayor Hani Al-Hayak and the Director of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture in Bethlehem, Mohammed Deirieh. “I feel very comfortable here,” said Deirieh, “as the Ministry of Culture encourages both popular culture and popular resistance. Praising the Culture of Resistance work of the AIC, which includes art empowerment training for Palestinian women in Hebron and Bethlehem, political-cultural events at the AICafe and field seminars for international activists, Deirieh added that the Ministry acts to protect Palestinian identity and culture. “Protecting culture is just like shaping a stone with your fingers,” he added with a smile. more.. e-mail Cool Capital: The streets are alive with the sound of music Jerusalem Post 21 Jul 2011 - Check out the best events in Jerusalem this summer; Front Stage sees some of the country's hottest bands take to the streets. Reggae band ‘getting goosebumps’ before 1st J'lem gig Jerusalem Post 20 Jul 2011 - Music has always been a part of the spiritual context of Israel, bassist from Easy Star All-Stars tells ‘Post.’ [uruknet.info] Appeals Court Rejects More Media Consolidation Uruknet July 9, 2011 - In six editions of "The Media Monopoly" and subsequent update titled, "The New Media Monopoly," Ben Bagdikian explained how deregulation let major media corporations consolidate to oligopoly size. Since 1983, the number of corporations owning most newspapers, magazines, book publishers, recorded music, movie studios, television and radio stations shrunk from 50 to a handful,... [uruknet.info] Composer of Hama protest songs found dead with his throat carved out (Video) Uruknet July 8, 2011 - Ibrahim Qashqoush, one of Syria's protest songs' composers and singers, was found brutally killed with his neck cut and his throat carved out. Mr. Qashqoush's songs were sung by the thousands of protesters in the central flashpoint city of Hama, which has witnessed one of the largest demonstrations in Syria calling for the downfall... A gypsy celebration Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2011 - 12 musicians and dancers will celebrate virtuoso Gypsy swing in a festive program. Israeli violinist shares top award at international music competition Ha'aretz - Israeli violinist Itamar Zorman ties for second place at International Tchaikovsky Competition, with no one taking first despite competition rules. Hysteria, ‘hasbara’ and the flotilla Larry Derfner, Jerusalem Post 6/29/2011 Rattling the Cage: Israel’s propaganda machine is in full swing prior to the ships’ upcoming arrival. I just love Israel’s “hasbara” campaign against Freedom Flotilla 2. I mean, butter wouldn’t melt in these people’s mouths. “There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” says Ehud Barak. Gazans are “importing televisions and plasma screens, and exporting agricultural products to the entire Arab world,” says IDF chief Benny Gantz. Yes, Gaza is economically on the mend – but not because of Israel’s good intentions; rather, despite its bad intentions. If it were up to the government, Gazans would still be unable to receive terrorist infrastructure equipment such as toys, musical instruments, heaters, newspapers, fishing rods, tractor parts, irrigation pipes and, of course, coriander, on relief trucks coming across the border. Why did that policy change? What forced Israel to start letting everything through except construction equipment, which it fears Hamas might use to make bunkers? It was Freedom Flotilla 1, remember? It was the killing of nine Turks aboard the Mavi Marmara by Israeli commandos on May 31, 2010, after which Israel was compelled by international outrage to begin allowing all those previously banned weapons of mass destruction – cumin, ginger, dried fruit, industrial margarine, clothing fabric, sewing machines and more – into the Strip. Likewise, if it were up to the government, Hosni Mubarak would still be ordering Egyptian troops to search out and destroy the tunnels built by Gazans to smuggle in goods. But to the government’s dismay, Mubarak was overthrown and Egypt’s new leadership is less eager to collaborate with our Gaza policy. more.. e-mail What does Tel Aviv’s White Night have in store for you? Ha'aretz - Tel Aviv’s annual White Night is back for its ninth year. This guide gives a taste of what’s in store, including a list of tours and a selection of music, art, theater and special events. Cultural revolution in Cairo AlJazeera 24 Jun 2011 - Young Egyptians display pride at their country's revolution through art and music. Dylan Review Roundup Ha'aretz - Five Israeli fans review the music icon's first performance in Israel in nearly two decades. ‘Don’t Play in Tel Aviv! Apartheid is Not Punk Rock!’: An Open Letter to Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine Mondoweiss - Dear Jello, We are fans of yours, people who have been influenced and inspired by your work. There’s no doubt that over the past thirty years, while so much of American culture has been inundated by cookie-cutter corporate pop, your words and music stood apart in... Gaza: Young Palestinians Lead a Global Movement Joe Catron, Palestine Chronicle 6/13/2011 On a warm, sunny afternoon, I met Eman Sourani and Rana Baker in an airy outdoor café several blocks from the port of Gaza. Both are members of the Palestinian Students' Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel (PSCABI). Sourani, a 22-year-old English literature student at Al-Aqsa University, cofounded the group after Operation Cast Lead in January 2009, while Baker, a 19-year-old blogger and a business administration student at the Islamic University of Gaza, joined it during Israeli Apartheid Week, a global event in March 2011. PSCABI is the student arm of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), itself part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee. Since its July 2005 founding by Palestinian organizations from Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and the diaspora, BDS has grown into a formidable global movement with an impressive record of victories. In the last month alone, the University and College Union (UCU) and the University of London Union (ULU), respectively the largest academic labor union in the United Kingdom and the largest student union in Europe, voted to support it and sever their ties with Israeli institutions; UK Prime Minister David Cameron quietly resigned his post as Honorary Chairman of the Jewish National Fund, implicated in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian lands; students at the United States’ DePaul University voted by a nearly 80% margin (although without reaching the necessary quorum) to remove Sabra hummus, linked to the Israeli military, from their campus; the French-Belgian bank Dexia announced the impending sale of its Israeli subsidiary, “even at a loss;” and musicians Andy McKee and Marc Almond cancelled appearances in Israel. Although not all acknowledged the role of the campaign in their decisions, each was a target of it. Meanwhile, battles rage against the US pension fund TIAA-CREF; Israeli national institutions like the Histadrut and State of Israel Bonds.... more.. e-mail [uruknet.info] On "The Issue Of Character" And Empire Uruknet June 13, 2011 - Late last month, poet, musician, and self-termed "bluesologist," Gil Scott-Heron exited the hologram and returned to the source...to begin chanting, eternity will not be televised. In an earlier era, Stephen Spender feted the following tribute to those who fell resisting Francisco Franco's fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War. His lines of verse serve... 5th Creative Special Needs Festival to kick off Jeruslalem Post 8 Jun 2011 - For fifth year in a row, actors and musicians with special needs will be center stage in Jerusalem for five days in June. Apple launches iCloud storage service AlJazeera 6 Jun 2011 - CEO Steve Jobs unveils the anticipated music streaming and internet data-storage service. Palestine's 'Amandla!' Moment: Music and Palestine Palestine Chronicle: 6 Jun 2011 - By Doc Jazz I don't have a dream. It would perhaps be great if I did, but I don't. Dreams, to me, are a distortion of reality, a way for your emotions to deal with realities that your conscious mind finds too hard to digest. They are, by default, irrational responses that serve to maintain an emotional balance, but have no problem-solving capabilities. As a Palestinian, I don't like today's realities, and I find them utterly indigestible. I therefore firmly believe that they should be changed. I view things from my own background, like everyone else, and the reality of Palestine is a grim one, an ugly one, a desperate one, and a violent one. The reason for this is a racist ideology that defines certain people as inherently 'superior', and others as naturally 'inferior'. Its proponents take enormous pride in this deluded view of the world, commonly known as...more [uruknet.info] Ain't No New Thing: Reflections on the Whitey House Gil Scott-Heron Dies at 62 Uruknet June 3, 2011 - The commanding voice that named the names, that directed a musical letter of rage (air mail special) to whitey on the moon, and lived to see a revolt (if not a revolution) televised from Egypt, has died. Gil Scott-Heron died Friday afternoon at age 62 in NYC's St. Luke's Hospital. I don't know what... International law and the problem of enforcement Lawrence Davidson, Redress 6/5/2011 Lawrence Davidson traces the flaws built into the International Criminal Court that allow some states to get away with crimes to the exceptionalism and superiority complexes afflicting countries such as Russia, China and the US, which is also “tied so closely to the criminal behaviour of the Israelis that it has dedicated itself to protecting Israeli nationals as well”. Anthropomorphizing the nation state One of the defining characteristics of modern Western culture is individuality. Most people in the West take it for granted that they have the right to free expression and personality development. However, in practice, this right is not open ended. It is fine if you want to express yourself as a musician, a painter, a film maker, a writer, etc. Equally legitimate is your desire to express yourself as an engineer, accountant, bus driver or auto mechanic. Things become very different if you have a great desire to express yourself as a thief or want to develop your personality as a serial killer. There are rules, in the form of laws, against these latter avenues of expression. If you choose to ignore these laws there are police forces and courts systems that will seek to force you to do so. Another way of saying this is that within states or nations, people usually must confine their right of self expression to activities that do not impinge in a harmful or unwanted way on others in the community It was at the end of the 18th century and throughout the19th century that Western leaders of both established nations and aspiring nationalities began to apply this language of self expression to the nation state. In other words, they claimed the same right of self expression for the collective as for the individual.... more.. e-mail Coldplay endorses 'Freedom for Palestine' single on Facebook page Ha'aretz - U.K. music bestsellers provide link to official 'Freedom for Palestine' website, a project supported by groups such as Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, and Friends of Al Aqsa. Watch: Coldplay promotes pro-Palestinian music video Jeruslalem Post 1 Jun 2011 - Music sensations get attention for posting OneWorld video on their Facebook page, endorsed by ICAHD UK, Jews for Justice for Palestinians. Help getting "Freedom for Palestine" in UK charts! Stop The Wall - May 31, 2011-- In the UK international musicians are releasing a historic single ‘Freedom for Palestine’ by OneWorld. All star ensemble– ‘We are the people, this is the time– Stand up, sing out for Palestine’ Mondoweiss - I love this! My heart is pounding the chorus is so beautiful. OneWorld has produced a fantastic hit, all proceeds supporting projects in Palestine. The song features an all star ensemble of musicians from around the world including Randall, Jamie Catto (1 Giant Leap), Maxi Jazz (... Soldiers Play Loud Music, Porn, to Disturb Palestinians Palestine Solidarity Project 31 May 2011 - During the day of Wednesday, May 25, Israeli forces stationed at the entrance of Beit Ommar played music and audio from pornographic media over speakers at high volumes. The audio assault was intended to disturb and repulse Palestinian villagers. It is not uncommon for the Israeli... Ain’t No New Thing: Reflections on the Whitey House Dissident Voice: 31 May 2011 - The commanding voice that named the names, that directed a musical letter of rage (air mail special) to whitey on the moon, and lived to see a revolt (if not a revolution) televised in Egypt, has died. Gil Scott-Heron died Friday afternoon at age 62 in NYC’s St. Luke’s Hospital. I don’t know what age I was when I first heard Scott-Heron wittily and boldly lambaste Nixon and Spearhead Agnew and Ronnie Raygun and Attilla the Haig and Marlin Perkins and Papa Doc Bush — they and their America didn’t mean shit to him (and me and millions of other Americans) and it felt damned good to hear it. One of his favorite targets was Americans’ greatest religious experience: getting something for nothing — specifically, the ripping off of black art, music and culture by (mostly) white capitalists while its creators often died paupers. He declined the title of “Godfather...more A fusion unlike any other Ha'aretz - Mulatu Astatke, a star of black jazz and Ethiopian music, is playing at Tel Aviv's Barbie Club. Iconic musician Bob Geldof: Israel mustn't isolate itself from the rest of the world Ha'aretz - Irish anti-poverty activist, in Israel to receive honorary PhD from Ben Gurion University, urged Israel to spurn cultural isolation, forge better ties with African nations. In NY harbor, Ahmet Dogan tells the wrenching story of the murder of his son, freedom rider Furkan Dogan Mondoweiss - Wednesday evening, May 25 was the perfect evening for a boat trip....calm waters, a slight breeze, a star-filled sky, the twinkling lights of New York, excellent food, Jamaican music... Jamaican music? That's hardly Middle Eastern, especially when your boat trip is sponsoring THE boat trip...The US... David Rovics– What are your borders, Israel, drawn in black and white? Mondoweiss - Ordinary people just want to know, where are your borders, Israel? From Rovics's youtube page: Listening to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress the other day, I wrote this musical response. For a long time now, every time I hear an Israeli patriot... Making Room for a Palestinian narrative: A response to Mishy Harman Joseph Dana 24 May 2011 - TEDx Ramallah was an event which highlighted the ability of an occupied people to maintain an active and vibrant culture. Authors, entrepreneurs, musicians, poets and filmmakers harnessed the power of new media in order to show the world that Palestine is not just a place of... Obama’s sour notes in Israel are music to Europeans Jeruslalem Post 21 May 2011 - Analysis: US president's rhetoric hit the right notes on the other side of the Atlantic, offering hope for progress in the peace process. Personal Revolution: An Interview With United Sons of Toil Dissident Voice: 20 May 2011 - The aural assault delivered by United Sons of Toil is noise in the true sense–not just a series of dissonant sounds, but sounds that so willfully defy categorization that it’s hard to not peg them as subversive. Any notion of conventional rock structure is promptly thrown into the wood-chipper by this trio; imagine Fugazi at their absolute heaviest blended with a pre-breakup Swans, and you’ve got United Sons of Toil. It’s the kind of music that shakes us alienated drones out of our inertia and sends the beautiful privileged few into conniptions. It’s no surprise then that all three members of the Madison, Wisconsin group are themselves radicals. Their third album, When The Revolution Comes Everything Will Be Beautiful (Phratry Records) was released right on the heels of the massive labor rebellion that shook their hometown–almost as if history itself is trying to tell us something. Now, with that uprising...more Music as resistance inside the Ramallah bubble Electronic Intifada: 16 May 2011 - Ray Smith The Electronic Intifada Ramallah In the occupied West Bank, dissident voices questioning the Palestinian Authority’s increasingly authoritarian rule have become rare. But a young musician in Ramallah refuses to hold his tongue.more MIDEAST: Music Runs Into Walls IPS In the West Bank, dissident voices questioning the Palestinian Authority's increasingly authoritarian rule have become rare. But a young musician in Ramallah refuses to hold his tongue. ‘Hallelujah’ looks for next Jewish singing sensation Jeruslalem Post 12 May 2011 - Singing competition aims to create new musical tradition for world Jewry that will strengthen connection between young Diaspora Jews and Israel. Half a century and still going strong Jeruslalem Post 12 May 2011 - this year’s Israel festival, the 50th, brings many of greatest names in art and music to what some in West perceive to be a cultural backwater. Deep Purple: Only 'wimps' cancel concerts in Israel Ha'aretz - Addressing the press ahead of their Caesarea concerts later this week, the English rock band explains why musicians should remain impartial in politics. Vittorio Knew the Risks, and Accepted Them Palestine Chronicle: 9 May 2011 - By Daniela Loffreda Over ten thousand people joined together on Easter Sunday April 25, 2011 to pay homage to Vittorio Arrigoni in his home town of Buciago, Italy. The bittersweet moments were celebrated first in a religious ceremony by the Archbishop of Jerusalem Hilarion Capucci and then it was followed by a lay ceremony by fellow humanitarians, activists, associations, friends and one of the most tenacious women I have ever seen, Egidia Beretta, Vittorio’s mother. Music and poems were the backdrop to unity, pride and solidarity. Humanity radiated everywhere. Just like Vittorio would have wanted. We flew in from Italy, Spain, Ireland, Germany, The UK, France and Palestine, drove in and even cycled in to celebrate the life of a man whose biblical presence has fated us to our consciousness and to our divine calls for a better world. His signature closing statement, “Restiamo Umani” “Stay Human” took shape as...more Metal in the Middle East? A Music Scene Emerges Palestine Note 5 May 2011 - Vinita Bharadwa , New York Times - It’s around midnight on a Friday evening and Absolace, a rock and metal band, is performing live for about 300 people at The Music Room, the hot nightspot in the five-star Majestic Hotel in... Artistic unified action on May 15 Palestine Monitor - Around May 15th, art , music and poetry will commemorate the Nakba in Gaza, Nablus, Ramallah, Haifa and Amman. - Press release / 2nd-col-1st-article , Non-violent resistance , International solidarity , Palestinian civil society , Youth , Culture , Right to entry , Gaza , Nakba Daniel Barenboim: I am a Palestinian and an Israeli +972 Magazine 5/5/2011 On Tuesday, world-renowned conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim breached the blockade on Gaza by bringing an orchestra of some of Europe’s top musicians to a brief solidarity concert. +972 spoke to him after his return to Berlin. How do you sum up the visit? I think it was a very important occasion. Thirty-six of the best European Musicians – from the Berlin Staatskapelle, from the Berlin Philharmonic, from the Vienne Philarmonic, from the Orchestra du Paris, and from La Scala of Milan came there with me and we were able to show solidarity with the civic society of Gaza. This was made possible by the invitation of the United Nations, who organized the concert together with Palestinian NGOs. It was a very important step in that it we didn’t go in with a political mission, but with the humanitarian mission, for the people and civil society of Gaza, who have had no access to culture for a long time. I was especially impressed by the following fact: The Gaza Strip, as you know, is a very small area with over one and a half million inhabitants. And in spite of the blockade, which deprives them of many essentials – including cement to finish buildings, which you can actually see as you go there – in spite of that, they managed to build twelve universities. Twelve universities, in an area where you not only have 1.5 million people, but in an area where 85 percent of this 1.5 million are under thirty years of age. Very young people who are the hope of the next generation. And I think this is absolutely wonderful that they have built as many as twelve universities for these people. Because these are people who will get knowledge and information through the newest means the internet has to offer. This is the future of Palestine, and therefore, in some ways, also the future of Israel. Because this is the people that it will have to deal with. It’s a humanitarian, Palestinian, but also in a way Israel’s own interest to encourage people who want knowledge. more.. e-mail Artistic unified action on May 15 Palestine Monitor: 5 May 2011 - Around May 15th, art , music and poetry will commemorate the Nakba in Gaza, Nablus, Ramallah, Haifa and Amman. - Press release / 2nd-col-1st-article , Non-violent resistance , International solidarity , Palestinian civil society , Youth , Culture , Right to entry , Gaza , Nakbamore Daniel Barenboim: I am a Palestinian and an Israeli +972 Magazine 5/5/2011 On Tuesday, world-renowned conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim breached the blockade on Gaza by bringing an orchestra of some of Europe’s top musicians to a brief solidarity concert. +972 spoke to him after his return to Berlin. How do you sum up the visit? I think it was a very important occasion. Thirty-six of the best European Musicians – from the Berlin Staatskapelle, from the Berlin Philharmonic, from the Vienne Philarmonic, from the Orchestra du Paris, and from La Scala of Milan came there with me and we were able to show solidarity with the civic society of Gaza. This was made possible by the invitation of the United Nations, who organized the concert together with Palestinian NGOs. It was a very important step in that it we didn’t go in with a political mission, but with the humanitarian mission, for the people and civil society of Gaza, who have had no access to culture for a long time. I was especially impressed by the following fact: The Gaza Strip, as you know, is a very small area with over one and a half million inhabitants. And in spite of the blockade, which deprives them of many essentials – including cement to finish buildings, which you can actually see as you go there – in spite of that, they managed to build twelve universities. Twelve universities, in an area where you not only have 1.5 million people, but in an area where 85 percent of this 1.5 million are under thirty years of age. Very young people who are the hope of the next generation. And I think this is absolutely wonderful that they have built as many as twelve universities for these people. Because these are people who will get knowledge and information through the newest means the internet has to offer. This is the future of Palestine, and therefore, in some ways, also the future of Israel. Because this is the people that it will have to deal with. It’s a humanitarian, Palestinian, but also in a way Israel’s own interest to encourage people who want knowledge. more.. e-mail Artistic unified action on May 15 Palestine Monitor: 5 May 2011 - Around May 15th, art , music and poetry will commemorate the Nakba in Gaza, Nablus, Ramallah, Haifa and Amman. - Press release / 2nd-col-1st-article , Non-violent resistance , International solidarity , Palestinian civil society , Youth , Culture , Right to entry , Gaza , Nakbamore Barenboim opens 'peace concert' in Gaza 5/3/2011 - GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Hundreds of eager Palestinians, many of them schoolchildren, packed into a hall in northern Gaza on Tuesday for a rare concert conducted by Israeli maestro Daniel Barenboim. As the audience settled into their seats, musicians from orchestras across Europe, who have come together for the special performance, stepped onto the stage for.... Conductor Daniel Barenboim holds Gaza 'peace concert' Palestine Note 3 May 2011 - BBC- Hundreds of Palestinians, many of them schoolchildren, attended the first performance in the coastal territory by an international classical ensemble. Israel forbids its civilian citizens from travelling to Gaza, so Barenboim entered via Egypt with 25 musicians. Read Full... Israeli conductor to lead 'peace concert' in Gaza 5/2/2011 - JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Renowned Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim is to conduct an orchestra of European musicians in a "peace concert" in Gaza City on Tuesday, a United Nations agency said. The rare concert, which will take place at lunchtime at the Al-Mathaf Cultural House, was announced in a statement by the UN Special Coordinator for the.... European Orchestra to Perform in Gaza Strip Palestine Note 2 May 2011 - Wall Street Journal - Daniel Barenboim, a renowned Israeli conductor and Palestinian rights activist, will bring an orchestra of European musicians for a performance in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The concert, coordinated in secret with the United Nations until... Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim to perform with orchestra in Gaza Ha'aretz - European musicians will enter Gaza with Barenboim through Egypt-Gaza border crossing after concert coordinated in secret with the UN, the Wall Street Journal reports. Art of the Palestinian diaspora Interviews by Jason R. Forbus, editing by Nora Parr in, Ma’an News Agency 4/26/2011 Meet Bissan Rafe Qasrawi, a painter, film-maker Dalia Odeh, Deema Dabis, a poet, and musician Abboud Hashem. Each Palestinian, each living abroad, adapting life and art to new, alien environments they find themselves in not always by choice. The lives and experiences of these men and women at once exemplify and reflect the refugee experience for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and at the same time show the diversity within that scattered community. As the eyes of the world turn to the younger generations of the Middle East, as movements of youth gain ground against oppressive governments and policies, Palestinian exiles are speaking up and speaking out about a collective nostalgia, an ideal for the homeland, but at the same time an intense desire to change and fight the set of systems seen as enforcing their alienation. Bissan is a 25-year-old visual artist and a pre-med student at the University of Houston, Texas. She moved to the United States from Jordan together with her family when she was 13, and has lived there ever since. Were you born in Palestine? Bissan: No, but my father was and so was everyone that came before him. Her painting is oil on wood. She says it is a contour of Palestine’s map masked by the form of a woman. The head of the woman is strategically placed near Lake Tiberias, where Bissan recalls controversy over water usage and resource allocation. The head biting the woman’s shoulder represents a lover - Lebanon - the Gaza Strip is represented by a kiss between the strip and Egypt in what she describes as "a sarcastic display of betrayal." more.. e-mail Behind front-lines, Libyan rebels escalate media war Jeruslalem Post 25 Apr 2011 - Writers, cartoonists and musicians have been taking their work to the public after a popular uprising shook off decades of autocratic rule. Nablus The Culture Palestine Monitor: 22 Apr 2011 - As the twilight faded in Nablus, their harmony echoed in the marble vaulted chamber, the tenors booming below fluttering sopranos. “My word, what a lovely echo! Let's try it out. Pleased to meet you!” they sang. “I'd like you to sing a song. Why? Why should I? Why not?” The Zaridash choir sung eleven songs in Basque, English, Spanish and Arabic inside a grand residential building whose original owners lost it during the birth pangs of the Israeli state. Since, it has been revitalized by Sami Hammad through his unique struggle under occupation. “I look at culture as a way of resistance,” Hammad said, smoking cigarette after cigarette beneath the two-story marble columns of his music and events center, Nablus The Culture. “You can arrest anybody but you can't arrest a soul.” The singers are a diverse mix of Palestinians and internationals from Spain, the U.S. and Europe. A crowd...more Contestants perform on Palestinian competition show 4/22/2011 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Ma'an's satellite TV aired Thursday the program New Star, a musical competition show transmitted weekly from Al-Khadr, near Bethlehem in the West Bank. Twelve Palestinians from the West Bank and Israel are competing for six seats for the fourth round that will begin in two weeks. The.... Bello Ciao- the Vic i know -1975-2011 Uruknet April 16, 2011 - With deep sadness in my heart I write. I am sad and shocked that Vik has been taken from our world so soon and so tragically. I am appalled that such ignorant brutality and violence still exists in Palestinian society. Vik you were dedicated, full of humanity, and fun. Your love for life, music... FBI files on Tupac Shakur murder show he received death threats from Jewish gang Ha'aretz - Files state that Jewish Defense League had extorted money from 'various rap music stars' by making 'death threats' and then offering protection for a fee. The Weekly Schmooze: Matza in the house Jeruslalem Post 14 Apr 2011 - A Jpost column wrapping up the hottest Jewish culture news worldwide: Pessah parodies; The Hebrew Hammer makes music. Crafting the Voice of Nablus Palestine Monitor: 13 Apr 2011 - Buried in the worn stones of Nablus' Old City - through its maze of alleys and market stalls, past the big hammam, the surviving soap factories and underneath countless posters of victims and martyrs of the occupation - is a special workshop, one of a kind in Palestine. Ali Hasanein in his Nablusi workshop. Fifteen feet square, it's cluttered with awls, screwdrivers, saws, chisels, vises, glues, strings, wrenches, sandpaper and drills. This place smells like a painter's bookshop - piles of sawdust mix with open cans of pigments and varnishes to perfume the air. It looks like a laboratory of sound - stringed instruments in various stages of ruin and repair crowd the walls. This is the workshop of Ali Hsanein, Palestine's only oud maker. “As a musician, I know what I'm doing,” said Hasanein, his thick black mustache curling in a smile. Hasanein has developed his craft for six...more Israel Leads the Electric Charge IPS A woman takes the driver's seat, turns on the radio, sliding through broadcasts of the tit-for-tat battles between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas till she finds a quiet music station. Egypt turmoil hits Cairo nightlife Palestine Note 6 Apr 2011 - Al-Aribaya - After hours spinning the latest hip-hop and trance hits, DJ Sugar loses enthusiasm, turns off the music and surveys a nightclub dance floor that has been bare for weeks. Egypt's political turmoil has dealt a blow to nightlife... Keeping it in the family Jeruslalem Post 6 Apr 2011 - This week, Israel's preeminent flamenco couple is debuting its latest work, ‘Mi Alborado,’ which combines traditional Spanish dance and music with contemporary emotions. Out and About: Top 10 things to do Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2011 - Dancer/choreographer and composer/pianist Gil Shohat have teamed up to produce a salute to both dance and Frederic Chopin, often called the greatest piano composer of musical history. Peres attends Gorbachev's birthday bash in London YNet News, 30 Mar 2011 - LONDON - A host of stars from the world of politics, music and film gathered to celebrate former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's 80th birthday at a charity gala event ... .... Existence is Resistance Palestine Monitor: 30 Mar 2011 - A new documentary chronicling a musical tour to Palestinians teaching resistance through the arts. Featuring M1 of Dead Prez, Lowkey, Shadia Mansour, Marcel Cartier, Mazzi of S.O.U.L. Purpose, DJ Vega Benetton, SWYC, University of Hip Hop, Jody McIntyre and many more. Produced by Nana Dankwa and Existence is Resistance. questions @ existenceisresistance.orgmore Musician-activist Bob Geldof to Receive Award from Rights Violator Ben Gurion University Alternative Information Center - Musician and human rights activist Bob Geldof will accept an honorary degree from Israel’s Ben Gurion University later this year, thus ignoring the Palestinian call to boycott Israeli institutions. Ben Gurion University itself is particularly active... Boycott roundup: Canada campuses mobilize to divest Electronic Intifada: 18 Mar 2011 - Several Canadian universities launched campus divestment initiatives, a Danish-owned Israeli security company is forced to pull out of contracts in the occupied West Bank due to public pressure, and legendary musicians Pete Seeger and Roger Waters come out in support of the BDS movement.more Benghazi radio rap boosts morale of Libyan rebels Palestine Note 17 Mar 2011 - Arabiya - Two young Libyans whose rap music is broadcast to the front line by rebel Benghazi radio hope they are helping to maintain the morale of fighters outgunned by Moamer Gaddafi's forces. "Rap does not physically change things, but... Day of Reconciliation in Palestine Palestine Monitor - On a bright day in Ramallah, Al-Manara circle filled with protesters demanding an end to the division of the Palestinian leadership for the “Day of Reconciliation.” Hundreds of Palestinian flags whipped taut in the crisp wind, while loud music was projected from a stereo system wheeled... Day of Reconciliation in Palestine Palestine Monitor: 15 Mar 2011 - On a bright day in Ramallah, Al-Manara circle filled with protesters demanding an end to the division of the Palestinian leadership for the “Day of Reconciliation.” Hundreds of Palestinian flags whipped taut in the crisp wind, while loud music was projected from a stereo system wheeled in on a pick-up truck. Small groups of ebullient youth danced, sang and chanted together. By 12:30pm, the protest had already outsized previous unity demonstrations held over the last two months. Maan News estimated around 3,000 people in attendance. An estimated 3,000 came out to Ramallah on 15 March, "Day of Reconciliation." Photo by Lazar Simeonov Two days ago, a small but resolute group of youth committed themselves to camping out in al-Manara on a hunger strike until the two governments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip agreed on a united government. Fadi Quran, an organizer of the demonstration and the hunger strike...more Tear down this Israeli wall | Roger Waters The Guardian 11 Mar 2011 - I want the music industry to support Palestinians' rights and oppose this inhumane barrier In 1980, a song I wrote, Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 , was banned by the government of South Africa because... Beats Against Repression in Zimbabwe Dissident Voice: 4 Mar 2011 - No more internal power struggle; We come together to overcome the little trouble. Soon we’ll find out who is the real revolutionary, ‘Cause I don’t want my people to be contrary. — Bob Marley, “Zimbabwe” March 3rd marked the fifth annual “Music Freedom Day.” Associated with Danish artists’ rights organization Freemuse, it’s designed to bring attention to the repression and exploitation of musicians around the world. Over 30 events were held in a variety of countries, including, notably, some in North Africa and the Middle East, whose nations have recently been gripped by uprisings and revolutions. Egypt and Jordan were both among those counties whose Music Freedom Day took on a whole new meaning. And so it was in Zimbabwe . This year’s event took place in Harare’s Book Cafe, featuring performances from three of the country’s best-known political artists. The really impressive act, however, came from the 2,000 artists who...more NYC folk singer endorses boycott of Israel 3/3/2011 - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- New York City folks singer Pete Seeger announced his support for the Palestinian movement for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel last week, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and Adalah said in a statement. The 92-year-old singer made the news public at his home in New York, saying "I.... Related: Adalah-NY: Folk Music Legend Pete Seeger Endorses Boycott of Israel Pete Seeger joins Palestinian boycott movement Jeruslalem Post 1 Mar 2011 - American folk music legend reportedly tells Israeli organizations: "I support the BDS movement as much as I can." Folk music legend Pete Seeger endorses boycott of Israel Uruknet February 28, 2011 Folk music legend Pete Seeger has come out in support of the growing Palestinian movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel as a program for justice for Palestinians and a route to peace in the Middle East. Seeger, 92, participated in last November’s online virtual rally "With Earth and Each Other," sponsored by the... Folk Music Legend Pete Seeger Endorses Boycott of Israel Alternative Information Center - Folk music legend Pete Seeger has come out in support of the growing Palestinian movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel as a program for justice for Palestinians and a route to peace in... Folk Music Legend Pete Seeger Endorses Boycott of Israel Adalah-NY, ICAHD, Alternative Information Center 2/28/2011 Folk music legend Pete Seeger has come out in support of the growing Palestinian movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel as a program for justice for Palestinians and a route to peace in the Middle East. Seeger, 92, participated in last November’s online virtual rally “With Earth and Each Other,” sponsored by the Arava Institute, an Israeli environmental organization, and by the Friends of the Arava Institute. The Arava Institute counts among its close partners and major funders the Jewish National Fund, responsible since 1901 for securing land in Palestine for the use of Jews only while dispossessing Palestinians. Although groups in the worldwide BDS movement had requested he quit the event, Seeger felt that he could make a strong statement for peace and justice during the event. During a January meeting at his Beacon, NY home with representatives from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) and Adalah-NY, Pete Seeger explained, “I appeared on that virtual rally because for many years I’ve felt that people should talk with people they disagree with. But it ended up looking like I supported the Jewish National Fund. I misunderstood the leaders of the Arava Institute because I didn't realize to what degree the Jewish National Fund was supporting Arava. Now that I know more, I support the BDS movement as much as I can.” Jeff Halper, the Coordinator of ICAHD, added, “Pete did extensive research on this. He read historical and current material and spoke to neighbors, friends, and three rabbis before making his decision to support the boycott movement against Israel.” Seeger has for some time given some of the royalties from his famous Bible-based song from the 1960s, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” to ICAHD for their work in rebuilding demolished homes and exposing Israel’s practice of pushing Palestinians in Israel off their land in favor of development of Jewish villages and cities. more.. e-mail Pete Seeger endorses boycott of Israel Mondoweiss - Below is a press release issued by Adalah-NY and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. For more background see these posts : Folk music legend Pete Seeger has come out in support of the growing Palestinian movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel as a... Egypt has returned from the cultural backwaters Palestine Note 24 Feb 2011 - Nesrine Malik, Guardian - I grew up in the post-Sadat Arab world. The 80s was a time when Egyptian drama, music and film monopolised Arabic media; we imbibed the Egyptian accent and colloquialisms as well as... We Need a Revolution in Songs About Egypt Palestine Note 21 Feb 2011 - David Hajdu, The New Republic - The revolution will always be harmonized. If no song in itself can change the world, revolutionary change usually happens to music, as it is today in the Middle East. News... Young Egypt musician's songs struck revolutionary chord LA Times 18 Feb 2011 - 'Leave' just came to him. Boiling with anger Feb. 1 after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused to step down, Ramy Essam grabbed his guitar, banging out lyrics cobbled from chants in Tahrir Square. The song just came to him. Boiling with anger on that first day of February after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused to step down, Ramy Essam grabbed his guitar. Israeli BDS Activists Call on Artists to Boycott Music Festival IMEMC - Tuesday February 15, 2011 - 14:19, Israeli Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) activists have urged international artists who are slated to perform in the International Red Sea Chamber Music Festival in Eilat, Israel next month to cancel their appearances. Winners and losers Daoud Kuttab, Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2011 While it is not clear when and how the popular revolt in Egypt will end, it the winners and losers can be identified. It might be a cliché to state that tyrants are the biggest losers and peoples are the winners, but it does reflect what is the case in much of the Arab world. Rulers who were able to govern with little resistance for years are suddenly discovering that the seats they have been clinging to are becoming unbearably hot. Even without being provoked by their own people, some Arab rulers are already announcing that they don’t intend to run for office again. Heads of state who have been harboring ideas of bequeathing their power to their children are declaring such ideas void even though their children are still running the army or such important senior posts. Ruling parties are also quickly feeling that the ground under their feet is shifting. As people power increases in scope and courage, these parties that have ruled for years without a serious challenge are also facing the music, unable to stand up to the scrutiny of their peoples. The newly found bravery of Arab youths has spread from one country to another. The right to demonstrate and expression, which has been restricted for years in Arab countries, has now been extracted as a result of the sacrifices in the streets. Once the barriers of fear were broken, it became clear that the right to assembly, a basic right enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights, has been won over. more.. e-mail Rappers and musicians inspired by uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia Palestine Note 10 Feb 2011 - Los Angeles Times - Sometimes, art imitates life, but other times it struggles just to keep up. So perhaps it is fitting that one of the most popular new songs dedicated to the uprising in Egypt... Surrealpolitik: Arab Revolt and Dream of 'Palestine' Palestine Chronicle: 7 Feb 2011 - By Steve Breyman 'By this time, like one who had set out on his way by night, and travelled through a region of smooth or idle dreams, our history now arrives on the confines, where daylight and truth meet us with a clear dawn, representing to our view, though at a far distance, true colours and shapes.' -- John Milton. Could anything be weirder for Palestinians than that the current intifadas, today’s uprisings against illegitimate rulers, are taking place in Tunisia and Egypt? That Arabs in Tunis and Cairo are closer to democratic self-rule than they are? Is this a dream? Whose dream? Will we wake up from it? Where is André Breton when we need him? Breton, author of The Surrealist Manifesto, thought Surrealism—the creative expression of dreams--revolutionary. Most of the painters, filmmakers, actors, playwrights, poets, and musicians who went in for one form or another of the post-War-to-End-All-Wars...more Mubarak's new tactic, a war of attrition. Uruknet February 5, 2011 - As well as playing a game of musical chairs with the leaders of the ruling NDP party. (Somewhat ironically the NDP in Canada refers to the New Democratic Party rather than the National Democratic Party as in Egypt. The NDP in Canada is a leftish opposition party.) Although it was earlier reported that Mubarak too... The Islam That Hard-Liners Hate Palestine Note 10 Jan 2011 - New York Times - In Pakistan’s heartland, holy men with bells tied to their feet close their eyes and sway to the music. Nearby, rose petals are tossed on tombstones. Free food is distributed to devotees.... A servant of music Jeruslalem Post 6 Jan 2011 - Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin launches a world tour with a concert in Jerusalem. YouTube will pay royalties for videos viewed in Israel Jeruslalem Post 4 Jan 2011 - Under agreement, if an Israeli views music video by Israeli or foreign artist, artist will now be paid royalties; "3 mil. Israelis visit YouTube each month." Palestine National Orchestra has its debut Palestine Note 3 Jan 2011 - Los Angeles Times - Today an orchestra, tomorrow a state. With these words, Suhail Khoury, director of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, introduced the Palestine National Orchestra in its debut Friday in the West... Spanish band plays at Hebron school 12/29/2010 - HEBRON (Ma'an) -- A Spanish band on Monday gave a concert at a Hebron school for students who must cross military checkpoints every day. The band performed at Corboda elementary school in Hebron's Old City. The school was named after the Andalusian city in southern Spain. The musicians played several compositions and.... World music Israeli style: Idan Raichel Project Palestine Note 29 Dec 2010 - BBC News - "If I got an invitation to perform from the president of Syria or the prime minister of Lebanon, I would be the first to go," says Idan Raichel, one of Israel's biggest-selling musicians.... Israeli sound company wins a Grammy Jeruslalem Post 26 Dec 2010 - It may not be best song of the year or best new artist, but Israel is taking home a Grammy Award at the music industry’s annual extravaganza in LA. Palestinian orchestra prepares for debut 12/25/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A newly formed Palestinian National Orchestra says it will perform its debut concert on New Year's Day. Its program includes new and old Palestinian classical music, alongside some European classics like Mozart, Beethoven and Ligeti, organizers said in a statement. Many of the musicians, together forming the first Palestinian.... The Palestinian National Anthem(s) Shadi Al Haj, Palestine Think Tank 12/24/2010 “Kimi ga yo” Japan and “Mawtini” Palestine! "Kimi ga yo", (in English “The Emperor’s Reign“, with these words begins the Japanese national anthem, as a matter of fact, the world’s shortest national anthem (15 words). A poem to praise the Emperor, written in the Heian period and a melody chosen in 1880 to replace a previous unpopular one were the reason for a controversy in democratic Japan until the passage of a law which gave it recognition as Japan‘s national anthem in 1999. Anthems the way we know them rose to prominence in 19th century Europe and they are either “Marches“ or “Hymns” in their musical style while in Latin America, operatic styles can be found. The Palestinian national anthem has its own interesting story. After a short web-based search I was surprised with the amount of confusion and controversy surrounding it. I spent a few hours searching the “painfully-confusing” Internet presence of the so-called “Ramallah government” and the “Gaza government “ as well, linking from these places, I ended up on some websites where it was even confusing to know where I was. I found almost nothing regarding the Palestinian national anthem on those web pages.. It seems to me that YouTube and Wikipedia have space to preserve our national story, while both respected Palestinian governments are busy innovating their Internet cockfighting over Legitimacy. And to bring you closer to the reality behind my irony, I need you to listen to the official Palestinian national anthem which is the recognised Palestinian National Anthem.... -- See also: YouTube: Palestinian National Anthem more.. e-mail Bayna Aqli Wa Qalbi (Between My Heart and Mind) by Wissam Murad Dr. Basel Husseini, This Week in Palestine 11/29/2010 Review As I sit with Wissam at the American Colony Hotel, contemplating the idea behind the creation of this CD, I find myself drawn to his words that seem to be so passionately expressive. He starts to tell me about his eternal dilemma: how to combine the sound of pure classical Arabic music with contemporary Western music. He says “I had heard people trying to combine these two sounds but the result was a sound that was frail. My mind was telling me that, logically, this could not work, and I had to consult my heart.” People in various contexts who must make a decision stand at this crossroad every day, but I must say that in this work of art, Wissam’s heart won out. Bayna Aqli Wa Qalbi explores a new sound in Palestinian music in an attempt to move away from what is “common.” It begins as a long journey in search of a mixture of Eastern instruments influenced by Western instruments (specifically, the oud and kanoon with electric guitar and drums) to try to reach a sound that is unique. Wissam’s journey begins with his choice of lyrics - living the emotions and feeling the idea - then moves on to composition, music arrangement, recording the musicians, the vocals, mixing and mastering. Each has its trials and tribulations. The lyrics for these songs encompass many varied aspects of life, with no focus on any one aspect in particular. Wissam tries to get the listeners used to this type of musical expression and maintains his own signature. In two of the instrumental pieces, Wissam expresses his feeling that there is another way of musical expression - one in which a rest from the human voice and word is a relief. The songs in Bayna Aqli Wa Qalbi were composed in a flexible, easygoing manner under the shade of sweet melancholy. Void of complexity. This is abundantly clear in Wissam’s vocal style, through which his core come alive. more.. e-mail Al Kamandjati Bring the Classics to Life in Ramallah Palestine Monitor: 12 Dec 2010 - The Ramallah Orchestra brought Beethoven's Symphony No.1 and Haydn's Cello Concerto to the Ramallah Cultural Palace last night. Written and photogrpahed by Brynn Utela. Some of the youngest members of the orchestra play the violin. Both of these boys are ten years old. The encore brought professional violinist Simon Hewitt Jones onstage to lead the strings in a rousing modern gypsy piece titled Csardas, by the Italian composer Monti. The Ramallah Orchestra has been brought together by the Al Kamandjati Association in order to allow their students to experience the opportunity of playing in a symphonic orchestra. The orchestra brings together students, teachers, and professionals, with students as young as ten playing alongside professional musicians from the U.K. and Germany. Fourteen-year-old cello player Laila Salah of Ramallah, explained how she feels as she plays with the symphony. “It is very beautiful to play with the group, because you have all...more Video | The rise of Palestinian protest rap The Guardian 6 Dec 2010 - Don Duncan travels to the West Bank and Syria to talk to Palestinian musicians who are finding their political voices through rap music Israelis make cover of Iranian magazine Palestine Note 3 Dec 2010 - Ynet News - Metal band Orphaned Land, popular in Arab world, stars on cover of Iranian rock music publication Divan. 'Music demolishes political barriers,' says frontman Kobi Farhi. Read Full Article Here Photo: [Orphaned-Land.com] Palestine Youth Orchestra at Greece's Megaron Palestine Note 2 Dec 2010 - Athens News - Performing before a packed audience of all ages and descriptions at the Athens Megaron Concert Hall on Sunday night, the musicians of the Palestine Youth Orchestra (PYO) - ranging in age from 12... Basil Theodori: The Palestinian Musician Who Played for Sultan Qaboos, King Abdullah, and Yeltsin PNN - Bathina Hamdan – PNN - He was barely five years old when he accompanied his mother to a concert at the Jordanian National Conservatory. He watched without a hint of boredom, seized... First Performance for al-Ashekeen in Palestine IMEMC - 25 Nov 2010 - Wednesday November 24, 2010 - 18:16, Palestinian music band al-Ashekeen performed in Palestine and invigorated audiences with their songs of resistance and hope, the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre said on Wednesday. American roots artist makes his Palestine debut 11/23/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Grammy-nominated American roots musician Bill Kirchen made his Palestine debut Monday, in a special performance highlighting his week-long tour through the occupied West Bank. The guitarist, singer, and songwriter, who has performed for audiences in the US and around the world for more than 40 years, was in Bethlehem for a.... Related: Bill Kirchen Israeli lawyer seeks end of ban on Wagner performances 11/18/2010 - JERUSALEM (AFP) -- An Israeli lawyer said Thursday he has launched a bid to try to end a long-standing taboo against performances in the Jewish state of music by anti-Semitic composer Richard Wagner." We have set ourselves the goal of promoting the production of Wagner's works, particularly at the Tel Aviv Opera, to put.... Vox Taxi – Vox Dei Palestine Chronicle: 14 Nov 2010 - By Uri Avnery On Saturday evening, two weeks ago, we returned by taxi from the annual memorial rally for Yitzhak Rabin, and as usual got into a conversation with our driver. Generally, these conversations flow smoothly, with lots of laughs. Rachel loves them, because they bring us face-to-face with people we don’t normally meet. The conversations are necessarily short, the people express their views concisely, without choosing their words. They are of many kinds, and in the background we generally hear the radio news, talk shows or music chosen by the driver. And, of course, the soldier-son and the student-daughter are mentioned. But this time, things were less smooth. Perhaps we were more provocative than usual, still depressed by the rally, which was devoid of political content, devoid of emotion, devoid of hope. The driver became more and more upset, and so did Rachel. We felt that if we had...more The Oslo Virus and the Struggle for Bantustans Uruknet Gaza, November 9, 2010 - In 'The Music of the Violin,' a short story by South African writer Njabulo Ndebele, one of the characters comments on the 'concessions' made by the apartheid regime to the indigenous people: "That's how it is planned. That we be given a little of everything, and so prize the little we have that we... The Oslo virus and the struggle for Bantustans Haidar Eid, Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2010 In 'The Music of the Violin,' a short story by South African writer Njabulo Ndebele, one of the characters comments on the 'concessions' made by the apartheid regime to the indigenous people: "That's how it is planned. That we be given a little of everything, and so prize the little we have that we forget about freedom." This is what the endless “peace process” looks like seen from Gaza, where we live under a four-year-old Israeli siege. We pass the time struggling to survive, wondering if this is the day an air strike will take away our life, our loved ones or our home. I spent six years in Johannesburg, where I got my PhD. That time makes me very aware of the similarities between Israel and the apartheid regime in South Africa. I was inspired by how the world responded to apartheid in South Africa, particularly the United States considering that it was still dealing with its own history of racial discrimination and treatment of the indigenous population. And I am disheartened by the lack of similar outrage toward Israeli policies. Rather than acknowledging the reality of Israeli apartheid, as Jimmy Carter bravely did in 2006, the United States appears to have implicitly accepted the creation of a type of Bantustan-based system in Palestine. Laws enacted during the South African apartheid system have corresponding laws in Israel. Currently, in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Jews and Palestinians are treated very differently when it comes to housing, education, and legal and administrative systems. Palestinians face widespread discrimination, much of it “legal.” more.. e-mail The Oslo Virus and the Struggle for Bantustans Palestine Chronicle: 9 Nov 2010 - By Haidar Eid - Gaza In 'The Music of the Violin,' a short story by South African writer Njabulo Ndebele, one of the characters comments on the 'concessions' made by the apartheid regime to the indigenous people: "That's how it is planned. That we be given a little of everything, and so prize the little we have that we forget about freedom." This is what the endless “peace process” looks like seen from Gaza, where we live under a four-year-old Israeli siege. We pass the time struggling to survive, wondering if this is the day an air strike will take away our life, our loved ones or our home. I spent six years in Johannesburg, where I got my PhD. That time makes me very aware of the similarities between Israel and the apartheid regime in South Africa. I was inspired by how the world responded to apartheid in South...more Iranian police crack down on underground rap scene - report Daily Star 8 Nov 2010 TEHRAN: Iranian police have made a string of arrests in raids targeting the capital's underground rap scene, the Tehran-Emrouz newspaper reported Monday. An unspecified number of "boys and girls were arrested, and Western musical instruments and... Iranian authorities take on rap music YNet News - After restricting "Western-percieved" contents in universities, Iranian authorities have taken on the local music scene. Tehran police announced Sunday that it arrested ....... Colossus: the giant Gazan prison Larbi Sadiki, Al Jazeera, Axis of Logic 11/4/2010 The blockade imposed on Gaza is a powerful psychological device aimed at wringing concessions from Gazans and Hamas. Gaza "the giant open prison" are not the words of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president. Nor were they scripted by Hamas' Khaled Mishaal or Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas. They belong to David Cameron, the young and charismatic British prime minister. Since the imposition of the Gaza blockade nearly four years ago, no single European leader has voiced moral outrage over the sanctions with such alacrity, simplicity and forcefulness. His words have reverberated widely in Gaza as well as elsewhere in the Arab world. Like Cameron's words, the untold misery shatters the international political society's quasi silence and questions the immorality of indifference and inaction towards the blockade. Gazans need to reclaim their state of dignity and humanity before reclaiming the seemingly illusionary hope of a Palestinian state. A peek inside the 'big prison' reveals the blockade to be multi-layered - affecting economy, polity, diplomacy and security. For most Arabs, that Israel imposes a de-humanising blockade may be easy to explain, but Egypt's role in the blockade defies logical explication. The music one hears from the Egyptian regime and other Arab states about adherence to international agreements convinces neither Arabs nor Westerners. But abiding by sanctions that traumatise, de-humanise and isolate fellow Arabs, as in Iraq (where tens of thousands died as a result) or in Gaza is acceptable in the name of good citizenship in the international arena. more.. e-mail The World Education Forum: Palestine's Opportunity to Overcome Obstacles Palestine Monitor: 2 Nov 2010 - “Through education we will become a prosperous nation, and will obtain a life that allows us to live in freedom. We are a people who can live and learn despite the problems we encounter. We will continue to improve education, so that future generations can live peacefully.” – Adbul Hakeem, head of the Ministry of Education Written and photographed by Brynn Ruba. Friday night's cultural festivities including traditional music and dancing. The World Education Forum (WEF) closed on Sunday, with hundreds gathered at the closing ceremonies in Ramallah. The forum was held from October 28-31, with events taking place in the West Bank and Gaza, and a sister conference convened in Lebanon for those who were refused an Israeli visa. Hebron, Bethlehem, Nabus, Jenin, Jaffa, Haifa and Jerusalem also hosted conferences on topics ranging from education as a tool for resistance, to education and the Palestinian prison experience. Government officials...more Former President Bill Clinton, Cherie Blair, music legend Quincy Jones and other distinguished guests support Tomorrow's Youth Organization Palestine Note 27 Oct 2010 - Washington - Tomorrow’s Youth Organization brought together over 400 celebrities, advocates, government and diplomatic representatives, and private sector leaders on Thursday, October 21 at the first annual TYO Gala in Washington, DC. One hundred percent of... Justice, Israeli style Sherine Tadros, MWC News, International Solidarity Movement 10/27/2010 22 October 2010 - “Does anyone know the Hebrew word for ‘occupation’?” A question from the state assigned Hebrew translator to the packed out courtroom. And that kicked off the trial into the killing of US activist Rachel Corrie, which took her family seven years to secure. Today, several months later, we were back at Haifa District Court to hear from the Israeli soldier who was driving the bulldozer that killed Rachel whilst she was peacefully protesting against Palestinian home demolitions in Gaza in 2003. And hear is all we could do – thanks to an unusual request filed by the state, and accepted by the judge, the driver and other soldiers testifying in this case have done so behind a dark screen to protect their identity (for “security” reasons). I can’t tell you the driver’s name (there is a gag order) but I can say that he is a Russian immigrant to Israel that, ironically, shares the same birthday as Rachel. It was a long and painful testimony, the driver answering the questions with variations of the phrase: “I don’t remember.” He couldn’t even recall the time of day Rachel was killed and claimed he did not realize when he knocked Rachel down and drove over her with his four-tonne Caterpillar bulldozer. Presumably, he also didn’t realize when he then backed up over her a second time crushing her body with his blade. For Cindy Corrie, a retired music teacher from Olympia, Washington, that was the hardest part of the day: “Hearing the man who killed my daughter, without a shred of remorse in his voice, say he couldn’t remember when it happened.” -- See also: Source more.. e-mail DAM: "We Can't Go To Syria, But Our Music Can" Palestine Monitor - Day two of the Taybeh Oktoberfest, the internationally renowned beer festival. Its late and the amber nector is loosening tongues. MC Tamer Nafar addresses the audience in English. “Scream if you do not speak Arabic,” he calls. A few people shout, and he raises his voice.... DAM: "We Can't Go To Syria, But Our Music Can" Palestine Monitor: 21 Oct 2010 - Day two of the Taybeh Oktoberfest, the internationally renowned beer festival. Its late and the amber nector is loosening tongues. MC Tamer Nafar addresses the audience in English. “Scream if you do not speak Arabic,” he calls. A few people shout, and he raises his voice. “Come on, come on! Yala, yala! Scream if you do not speak Arabic!” He wins over a few meek foreigners, and their voices blend with those of the mainly Palestinian audience, who are eager to join the call-and-response game. DAM is requesting audience interaction, specifically asking their foreign audience to learn Arabic syllables during the next song. Their call is a demand for understanding. Suhell teaches the audience Arabic phonemes during a song. It's a call beyond a song. The three-person act is a product of a mixed background, with influences from both sides of the Wall. Mahmoud Jreri and brothers Tamer and Suhell...more Jazza: From Scala to Wembley Palestine Chronicle: 21 Oct 2010 - By Gilad Atzmon – London London Jazza festival is behind us. It was stressful and we took a massive risk, but it turned into a great success. For some of us, it was the most musically meaningful event we have ever participated in. It occurred to me a while back that as far as Palestinian affairs are concerned, the tide has indeed changed -- The struggle of the Palestinian people has now become a part of a Western collective conscience. We are a mass movement becoming increasingly aware of itself. At our last week's first Jazza Festival, leading artists of all genres united together with an audience from all walks of life to side with the Palestinians. In the Scala London, we stood together, protesting against Israeli brutality. Funds were raised for the Free Palestine Movement, an organization that challenges many aspects of the occupation, and will soon bring the...more Jazza festival highlights breadth of support for Palestinian struggle Gilad Atzmon, Redress 10/21/2010 The London Jazza festival is behind us. It was stressful and we took a massive risk, but it turned out to be a great success. For some of us, it was the most musically meaningful event we have ever participated in. It occurred to me a while back that as far as Palestinian affairs are concerned, the tide has indeed changed – the struggle of the Palestinian people has now become part of the Western collective conscience. We are a mass movement that is becoming increasingly aware of itself. At our first Jazza festival last week, leading artists of all genres united together with an audience from all walks of life to side with the Palestinians. At the Scala in London, we stood together in protest against Israeli brutality. Funds were raised for the Free Palestine Movement, an organization that challenges many aspects of the occupation and will soon bring the all-important question of the Right of Return right to the heart of Tel Aviv. Jazza is an event, though, which is above political agendas: as with the peace activists on board the Mavi Marmara, we have a humanitarian mission to accomplish. We are artists who very simply believe that beauty is hope. And we know that it is our duty to depict an alternative reality through our music. Naturally enough, we were supported by every possible Palestinian and Arab media outlet: The Palestine Telegraph rallied with us, as did the Palestine Chronicle. Middle East Online covered the production process and covered the event. Press TV promoted us and sent a team to cover the event. We were supported by the dissident network too: the Socialist Workers Party featured us on its front page, as did The Truth Seeker, Salem News, Redress Information & Analysis, Whatreallyhappened.com, Rense.com, the People Voice, Uprooted Palestinians and many others. more.. e-mail The Tide Has Changed: A Musical Essay and a Lesson in Humanity Palestine Chronicle: 14 Oct 2010 - By Ramzy Baroud If one tried to fit music compositions into an equivalent literary style, Gilad Atzmon & The Orient House Ensemble’s latest release would come across as a most engaging political essay: persuasive, argumentative, rational, original, imaginative and always unfailingly accessible. But unlike the rigid politicking of politicians and increasingly Machiavellian style of today’s political essayists – so brazen they no longer hide behind illusory moral façades - the band’s latest work is also unapologetically humanistic. Those familiar with the writings of Gilad Atzmon - the famed ex-Israeli musician and brilliant saxophone player, now based in London – can only imagine that Gaza was the place that occupied his thoughts as he composed The Tide Has Changed. The title track, an 11-minute melody, transmits the host of emotions that engulfed many of us when Israel began mercilessly pounding the resilient and hostage Gaza Strip in late 2008. First there...more London's Jazza Sings in Tune with Palestine Palestine Chronicle: 14 Oct 2010 - By Mamoon Alabbasi – London London's 'Jazza Music Festival' kicked off Tuesday with a number of artists performing free of charge to help raise aid for the occupied Palestinian territories and highlight their plight. The event offered a mix of music genres that crossed both cultural as well as generational divides, where a diverse audience enjoyed tunes from classic Arabic oud to a touch of contemporary Palestinian hip-hop passing through styles of jazz and into a melodic portrait of England's north east. The evening began with warm oud tunes of Palestinian artist Nizar Al-Issa, a traditional genre of music that is a favourite generally with older Arabs, but nevertheless still captures the imagination of younger generations. This was followed by a passionate performance that is customary of singer-songwriter Sarah Gillespie, which included my personal favourite 'Million Moons' and a number of new songs that will feature in her new album,...more Coming home to play Jeruslalem Post 11 Oct 2010 - One of today’s most prominent baroque violinists, Kati Debretzeni, returns to Israel to dazzle audiences with her breathtaking technique and deep-rooted musicality. "Sins": A Social Message through Creative Movements PNN - A girl enters, also in tatters, and begins to walk in synchrony with the shrill music amidst them, as if walking through a sleeping family. She approaches one of the barrels, in... Jazza for Gaza: Music against Oppression Uruknet October 8, 2010 - Sarah Gillespie, myself and at least 40 other leading artists from UK and Palestine are trying to achieve the impossible next week. We are promoting and playing together in a massive music festival for Palestine. We are flying musicians to London, we are mixing jazz with folk with hip hop and roots music. We all... For Gaza: JAZZA FESTIVAL 12th/13th October 201 8 Oct 2010 - London, October 8, (Pal Telegraph) -JAZZA FESTIVAL 12th/13th October 2010 *2 Nights of Award Winning Jazz, Folk and World Music* The Queen of Palestinian hip hop Shadia Mansour has joined the JAZZA Festival line up @ the Scala in Kings Cross. The event marks the official launch of the much anticipated Gilad Atzmon/Robert Wyatt/Ros Stephen's new album 'For the Ghost's... Jazza for Gaza: Music against Oppression Palestine Chronicle: 7 Oct 2010 - By Gilad Atzmon Sarah Gillespie, myself and at least 40 other leading artists from UK and Palestine are trying to achieve the impossible next week. We are promoting and playing together in a massive music festival for Palestine. We are flying musicians to London, we are mixing jazz with folk with hip hop and roots music. We all believe one thing - that artists who support Palestine must say so loudly and proudly using our notes and our voices. Jazza Festival is serious but is also a big party and we want you to join in. Jazza Music Festival 12 & 13 October 2010 @ THE SCALA 275 Pentonville Road, London www.scala-london.co.uk For lineup: click here . From 7.30 pm The funds raised in these 2 nights will help Free Palestine Movement deliver more and more humanitarian aid to Palestine. I am also proud and delighted to announce that Shadia Mansour, the...more Cultural resistance: Gilad Atzmon in conversation with British music icon Robert Wyatt Gilad Atzmon, Redress 10/5/2010 The legendary British music icon Robert Wyatt is a big supporter of Palestine. A few days ago he came down to London to promote “For the Ghosts Within" (Wyatt/ Stephen/Atzmon, Domino Records), a new album we have produced together with violinist Ros Stephen. We had a lively chat about Palestine, music, cultural resistance and the importance of the coming Jazza Festival. Music as an agent of change For Robert Wyatt, music is where “people are introduced to each other”. “People were playing each other’s music long before they were mixing politically or socially,” he says. Musicians can anticipate change. “In the [US] deep south, white kids were listening to black radio stations and black kids listened to country music long before these kids could share space or even meet.” Music has this unique capacity to cross the divide, to bring people together, to introduce harmony and yet, for some reason, not many musicians are brave enough to jump into the deep water. Not many musicians celebrate their ability to bring about change. In 2003 Robert invited me to the studio. He was recording Cuckooland at the time. He had in mind an instrumental version of Nizar Zreik’s tune, originally sung by the Palestinian singer, Amal Murkus. That day in the studio, I spent a good few frustrating hours with my clarinet trying to emulate Amal’s articulation, her sound, her personal take on micro-tonality, colour and dynamic.... more.. e-mail Cultural Resistance: A Conversation with Robert Wyatt Palestine Chronicle: 5 Oct 2010 - By Gilad Atzmon – London The legendary British music icon Robert Wyatt is a big supporter of Palestine. A few days ago he came down to London to promote For the Ghosts Within (Wyatt/ Stephen/Atzmon, Domino Records), a new album we produced together with violinist Ros Stephen. We had a lively chat about Palestine, music, cultural resistance and about the importance of the coming Jazza Festival . For Robert Wyatt, music is where “people are introduced to each other”. “People were playing each other’s music long before they were mixing politically or socially” he says. Musicians can anticipate change. “In the deep south, white kids were listening to Black radio stations and Black kids listened to Country Music, long before these kids could share space or even meet”. Music has this unique capacity to cross the divide, to bring people together, to introduce harmony and yet, for some reason, not many...more Musical storytelling: Reem Kelani interviewed Electronic Intifada: 1 Oct 2010 - Reem Kelani, born in Manchester, UK to Palestinian parents and raised in Kuwait, tells a tough tale of her struggle to establish herself as a Palestinian artist in the "world" music industry. Sarah Irving interviews for The Electronic Intifada.more In photos: Beit Jala Cultural Festival for Peace 9/24/2010 - MaanImages / Haytham Othman - The Beit Jala Cultural Festival for Peace Cities kicked off on Monday, with art from local and international artists, and performances by Palestinain and international musicians. Beit Jala is a town next to Bethlehem, overlooking the city from a hilltop south of Jerusalem, September 20, 2010.... Busting the siege, American style Mondoweiss - A fabulous party Tuesday night in Brooklyn was the latest in a series of nation-wide fundraisers to send an American boat to break the siege of Gaza. The Siege Busters’ Ball featured hours of eclectic performances , connections, conversations, and shoulder-shaking Arabic dance music into the small... Folk Music Legend Pete Seeger Urged to Abandon Israel Event IMEMC - 11 Sep 2010 - Saturday September 11, 2010 - 20:57, Folk music icon Pete Seeger has been urged by over 40 organizations, along with musicians close to him, to cancel his participation in a November internet event organized by the Israeli groups the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and others. Folk Music Legend Pete Seeger Urged to Abandon Israeli Event WAFA - NEW YORK, September 11, 2010 (WAFA)- Folk music icon Pete Seeger has been urged by over 40 organizations, along with musicians close to him, to cancel his participation in a November internet event British-born Palestinian singer 'assaulted' at Tel Aviv airport 9/10/2010 - TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- A British national was tackled by Israeli airport security and kept in a stress position while questioned for at least an hour on Saturday, her publicist said. The woman, British-born Palestinian Hip Hop artist Shadia Mansour, was reportedly subjected to repeated searches and questioning after security agents alleged there was.... Related: British Palestinian rapper conducts a 'musical intifada' and Video: Shadia Mansour "el Kofeyye 3arabeyye" 2010 Promo British Palestinian rapper conducts a ’musical intifada’ Jon Donnison, Axis of Logic 9/8/2010 Hebron - The 24-year-old has been on tour in the West Bank. "It's a musical intifada, a musical uprising," says Shadia Mansour squinting in the sunshine outside the hip hop workshop she is running in the West Bank city of Hebron. From inside, a DJ can be heard cutting out beats on his decks. Ms Mansour has been dubbed "the first lady of Arabic hip hop", but she is perhaps the only lady of Arabic hip hop. The 24-year-old British Palestinian rapper grew up in South London, but she is currently on tour in the West Bank. Ms Mansour is giving concerts in Bethlehem, Hebron and Ramallah but is also working with local young rappers in free flowing jam sessions. Revolutionary music "They're impressive," she says. "The first thing I noticed with the local hip hop artists is that their music is revolutionary - very similar to mine." Ms Mansour says she first started singing at the age of five or six, often accompanying her parents at pro-Palestinian rallies in London as a child. "We would sing protest songs," she says. "I come from a musical family, a revolutionary musical family." -- See also: Palestinian hip-hop artist held at gunpoint in Ben Gurion airport and Video: Shadia Mansour "el Kofeyye 3arabeyye" 2010 Promo more.. e-mail Mitchell's Quick-fix Fake Peace Palestine Chronicle: 1 Sep 2010 - By Stuart Littlewood –London On the eve of the silliest peace talks in history, the big question is this. What makes Obama's envoy George Mitchell, a negotiator of high repute, say there is 'no role' for Hamas? The talks are silly because they seek to overturn what the United Nations has already decided for resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict and drive a bulldozer through the building blocks of justice. It might be music to Zionist ears, but to people of good will it’s a cruel, futile and immensely damaging ploy. The talks are also silly because they bring together two people who by no stretch of the imagination could qualify as partners for peace. And they sit down under the auspices of a third party with an appalling track record in the Middle East and whom no-one trusts to act fairly. So Mitchell has been dealt a terrible hand. The former...more Catalonian Youth Advocate Palestine Via Music PNN - Nablus – PNN exclusive – a group of Catalonian youth currently visiting the Palestinian territory have taken the responsibility to advocate the Palestinian cause using a number of methods among them music.... Middle East Sound of Music Palestine Chronicle: 25 Aug 2010 - By Sherri Muzher I don't know where I'm going But, I sure know where I've been Hanging on the promises In songs of yesterday An' I've made up my mind I ain't wasting no more time But, here I go again Those lyrics belong to Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again On My Own," and might as well be the theme song for the Palestinian Authority ahead of Mideast peace talks While direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis are welcome, actions speak louder than words. The continuation of Israeli settlements speaks volumes. Physical separation and lack of contiguity has nullified the hopes of two states living side by side. One can only conclude that the talks merely present photo-op for another U.S president and more time to plant more facts on the ground for the Israeli government. Professor Stephen Walt of Harvard University and co-author of “The Israeli Lobby and U.S....more Children Coping with Trauma through Music Therapy in Nablus WAFA - NABLUS, August 21, 2010 (WAFA- While living under occupation in the West Bank, young children are often exposed to violence that can have severe adverse affects on their psychological well-being. OPT: Children Coping with Trauma through Music Therapy in Nablus Relief Web 20 Aug 2010 - Source: US Agency for International Development Muslim American rapper growing up in post-9/11 America Palestine Note 17 Aug 2010 - New York, New York - When Cyrus McGoldrick takes the stage, he's not himself. McGoldrick raps as The Raskol Khan, often with the Freddy Fuego Sextet, an evolving group of musicians based in Harlem. The name... Letter to Dave Douglas on his upcoming concert in Israel Mondoweiss - Dear Mr. Douglas, I am an Israeli citizen living in West Jerusalem. I am writing to you two weeks ahead of your scheduled concerts in the Israeli city of Eilat. I am fan of Jazz music and a fan of your work . I believe you should... Music: Arabian Night: Distant Heat Music Show in Jordan New York Times 7 Aug 2010 - The Distant Heat show, an overnight rave by the Red Sea in Jordan, plays the dance music while playing down cultural differences. The weekend in protests 8/2/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Reports of all the weekend demonstrations in the West Bank attended by ISM activists. - Bil’in: tributes paid to Olympia and music from rappers in solidarity with Palestine (July 30th) Dozens suffered from tear gas inhalation and stun grenades in Bil'in’s weekly demonstration, and two people were injured. On Friday 30 July.... ‘Boycott Israel’ protest held Friday in Bil’in village; two injured IMEMC - 1 Aug 2010 - Sunday August 01, 2010 - 12:46, Around 200 Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals – including a group of hip-hop musicians from the US and Britain – joined a protest on Friday afternoon in the Palestinian village of Bil’in calling on the international community to boycott Israel in order to end Israeli apartheid practices. Jewish musicians unite for Palestine Sahar Habib Ghazi, Dawn 7/12/2010 HOUSTON: Deep in downtown, the teasing strum of a guitar, hypnotic beat of percussions, and the wooing echo of horns bounce off lime-green soundproof walls in a dimly-lit rented studio. It is close to midnight on a weekday, and the Free Radicals are rehearsing a song inspired by a centuries-old Jewish music genre called Klezmer. In its historic form, the purely instrumental compositions were structured to facilitate expressive celebrations and dancing at traditional Jewish weddings in Eastern Europe. But the Free Radicals are anything but traditional. By day, the band members are activists, volunteers and teachers and by night, they gather in a rented studio to practice. They often play pro bono at protests and peace benefits. “Outside the political sphere, we take radicalism in our approach to music,” says percussionist Chris Howard. The Free Radicals have taken the high energy and exotic scale of Klezmer and turned it into something verging on punk rock. Since they formed in 1996, the band has experimented with diverse international instrumental styles and have collaborated with over 50 other musicians. But in Klezmer, folk music inherited from some of their Jewish ancestors, the Free Radicals saw potential beyond bar mitzvahs and weddings. The drummer and founder of the band, Nick Cooper thought it could be a powerful voice to gather support to “boycott Israel.” Cooper’s own band, the Free Radicals abides by the call from Palestinian academics.... more.. e-mail Disco group Boney M asked to cut song at WB festival Palestine Note 22 Jul 2010 - Washington – The iconic 1970s disco group Boney M performed this week at an international music festival in Ramallah, but were asked to refrain from singing their hit “Rivers of Babylon,” the Associated Press reported Thursday.... Israel releases British rapper detained at airport 7/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli airport authorities have released a British-Iraqi rapper who was held for half a day at Ben Gurion International Airport, the musician's fan page reported Wednesday. Lowkey was detained Tuesday upon arrival in Tel Aviv en route to play a number of concerts and hold a series of musical workshops in refugee camps.... PA police host summer camp in Qalqiliya 7/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - EU police instructors participated in the closing ceremony of the first police summer camp in the northern West Bank district of Qalqiliya on Wednesday. Sixty-seven children participated in the camp, which included 10 days of theater, music, sports and painting, the EU's EUPOL COPPS program announced in a statement Wednesday. The summer camp.... Johnny Rotten: "Rise" against racism, boycott Israel Electronic Intifada: 20 Jul 2010 - The following letter to British musician John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, who is scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv next month, was issued on 18 July 2010 by the Palestinian Students' Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel (PSCABI) and the University Teachers' Association in Palestine (UTAP).more Gilad Atzmon Interviewed: Each Village is a Reminder Palestine Chronicle: 13 Jul 2010 - By Brian Lenzo Gilad Atzmon was born in Israel in 1963 and has become known around the world as a masterful jazz musician. As a multi-instrumentalist, he plays soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, clarinet and flute. His album Exile was the BBC jazz album of the year in 2003. He has been described by the London Sunday Times' John Bungey as the "hardest-gigging man in British jazz." His nine albums often explore political themes and the music of the Middle East. He has recorded and performed with Shane McGowan, Robbie Williams, Sinead O'Connor, Robert Wyatt and Paul McCartney, and was a member of the punk band The Blockheads. In 1982, Atzmon completed obligatory military service during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and his experiences then brought about a major change in his thinking. He currently lives in exile in Great Britain and regards himself as a Hebrew-speaking Palestinian. In...more New Yorkers Celebrate 5 Successful Years of Palestinian-Led Boycott Movement against Israel WAFA - NEW YORK July 12, 2010 (WAFA)- In a joyful celebration of the Palestinian peaceful and creative grassroots resistance, 40 New York human rights activists conducted a musical walking tour of U.S. gov’t record label offers IDF album and many other hymns to Zionism Mondoweiss - Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, which is a U.S. Gov't cocnern. My friend Bob Feldman writes: "If you do an advanced search on the Smithsonian music site by 'country,' you'll find that for 'Palestine Territory' there apparently are just 5... IDF soldiers face penalty after uploading Hebron dance video to YouTube Ha'aretz - WATCH: Video of soldiers, armed and wearing bulletproof vests, patrolling as a Muslim call to prayer is heard. Then the music changes and they break into a Macarena-like dance. The Hit List: Which musicians are boycotting Israel? Palestine Note 1 Jul 2010 - By Jared Malsin New York - Israel has faced a wave of cancellations by major musical acts in recent months, with several groups and musicians choosing to heed calls a boycott in the wake of Israel's... European music festival kicks off in Jerusalem 6/27/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Aiming to break down social, religious, and cultural prejudice, 40 musicians from 10 countries will perform in a festival honoring Jerusalem on Sunday. The Sounding Jerusalem Festival 2010 is set to begin on Sunday, and last for two weeks with concerts across the West Bank and Jerusalem. The festival's artistic director, Erich Oskar.... Anti-Zionist show in Rochester is back on, though not in original church venue Mondoweiss - Yesterday we ran musician Rich Siegel's report that a gig he was doing at a church in Rochester, NY, with Gilad Atzmon, like Siegel an anti-Zionist, got cancelled because of political pressure, including from a local temple, B'rith Kodesh. Some folks who read the report queried... Palestinians launch first women's radio station 21 Jun 2010 - West Bank, June 21, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Entrepreneurs in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday launched the first-ever Palestinian radio station devoted to women. The new Arabic station, Nisaa (Women) 96 FM, will be run by men and women and aimed at a broad demographic, with programming focused on social issues as well as music and call-in shows with... A Widow Mourns, An Army Lies Palestine Monitor: 20 Jun 2010 - Last week Palestine Monitor reported that Israeli police shot and killed Shu'fat resident 39-year-old Ziad Jilani in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Wadi Joz. Now his widow, a U.S. citizen, reflects on her husband's life and death, and the journey he's taken her on. Reporting from Kara Newhouse. Moira Jilani, wife of slain East Jerusalem native, Ziad Jilani, with their daughters, Mirage (15), Hannah (17), and Yasmeen (7) Moira Jilani remembers her experience vividly, “I felt happy that day. We were going to go out and celebrate, because the children finished exams the day before,” she tells me from her brother-in-law's house, where she's spent her days since Ziad's death on June 11. “We were cleaning, getting rid of the winter clothes. We had the music loud, the girls were dancing. We were ready to leave.” “When Aya [her niece] came knocking at the door, she was crying, her whole... Elton John keeps Israel tour date Palestine Note 18 Jun 2010 - Washington - A number of musical acts - Elvis Costello, Gorillaz Sound System, Klaxons, the Pixies, Devendra Banhart - have canceled their Israeli tour dates this summer either as a personal statement against Israeli policies or... Gaza students call on Tiesto to cancel Israel concert Electronic Intifada: 18 Jun 2010 - Dear Tiesto, we write to you to appeal to you to be on the just side of history, to have your voice with the oppressed. Like many other internationally renowned musicians and singers who decided not to entertain apartheid Israel such as Elvis Costello, Gil Scott-Heron, the Klaxons and Gorillaz Sound System, the Pixies, Carlos Santana and David Banhart, we expect you to follow suit and refrain from doing so. Yet Another Artist Cancels a Show in Israel PNN - Bethlehem – PNN- Many musicians have been cancelling doing shows in Israel due to the Israeli policies that oppress the Palestinian people. Folk singer Devendra Banhart is the most recent musician to... Music Festival 22 June Bethlehem Alternative Information Center - L’Alliance Francaise de Bethleem & Alternative Information Center (AIC) Invite you to Music Festival Tuesday 22 June from 8pm At the AICafe in Beit Sahour Two... Music Festival 22 June Bethlehem Alternative Information Center 3 - L’Alliance Francaise de Bethleem & Alternative Information Center (AIC) Invite you to Music Festival Tuesday 22 June from 8pm At the AICafe in Beit Sahour Two... Musicians welcome here Jeruslalem Post 7 Jun 2010 - Israel was not and is not supposed to be a bunker. Flotilla backlash?: Musical acts cancel Israel shows Palestine Note 4 Jun 2010 - Washington - Hipster groups the Klaxons and Gorillaz Sound System have canceled their performances in Israel scheduled for this week in response to Israel's deadly raid on the "Freedom Flotilla," Haaretz reported Friday. Musical group Klaxons... Jerusalem’s Magnificat Institute raises voices and funds Saturday 5/27/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Raising funds for the reconstruction of Jerusalem's Magnificat Institute, a chorus of Italian singers and musicians rallied together to put on the first of some 80 productions to be staged around the Mediterranean this summer. Proceeds from the Saturday night event will go to the repair of the institute, owned by the Holy.... When musicians boycott countries there are no clear winners The Guardian 26 May 2010 - Elvis Costello is the latest pop star to pull performances in Israel. But can a boycott do more harm than good? Last week, Elvis Costello became the latest, though probably not the last, musician to pull... In photos: American singers perform in Nablus 5/25/2010 - American singer Kareem Salama performs at an event organized by the US Consulate in Jerusalem. Salama and his band performed at An-Najah National University in Nablus on 22 May 2010. Salama singing American Heritage songs. In the past, the American representative to Palestine has hosted musical talent from swing to jazz to rap, and toured.... Music stars' boycott rocks Israel The National 21 May 2010 - British singer Elvis Costello says intimidation' and humiliation' of Palestinians spurred his decision as groups push for cultural boycott. Gaza youth learn music and challenge the occupation 5/21/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Electronic Intifada, Eva Bartlett - GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) – "Why are you rushing? Isn't it nicer like this? "Mohammed Omer, oud (an oud is similar to a lute) teacher at the Gaza Music School, asks his student. Omer takes the oud and demonstrates, playing the song slowly, gracefully, with the ornamentations that are.... Rock Icon Elvis Costello Joins Anti-Israel Boycott, Cancels Israeli Concerts The Media Line 19 May 2010 - After telling Israeli music journalists that dialogue and sharing culture were the best ways to overcome conflict, British rock star Elvis Costello announced he was backing out of two planned concerts in Israel because of the... Elvis Backs The Boycott Palestine Monitor - Veteran rock musician Elvis Costello has pulled out of two scheduled concerts inside Israel. The British five-time Grammy award winning singer and guitarist cited the "intimidation and humiliation of Palestinian civilians" in an open letter explaining his decision. Costello's public snub represents another major coup for... British musician Elvis Costello cancels Israel tour as ‘matter of conscience’ IMEMC - 18 May 2010 - After a campaign to boycott Israel targeted singer Elvis Costello with calls, letters and faxes, he decided that he could not, in good conscience, continue with a planned tour in Israel. He decided to join the boycott of Israel even though he acknowledged that this would cost him any future invitations to Israel. Elvis Costello cancels Israel concerts Palestine Note 17 May 2010 - New York - Following pressure from boycott campaigners, rock musician Elvis Costello announced on Saturday that he is canceling a pair of scheduled concerts in Israel. In a statement on his website, Costello said the decision... Elvis Backs The Boycott Palestine Monitor - Veteran rock musician Elvis Costello has pulled out of two scheduled concerts inside Israel. The British five-time Grammy award winning singer and guitarist cited the "intimidation and humiliation of Palestinian civilians" in an open letter explaining his decision. Costello's public snub represents another major coup for... Elvis Backs The Boycott Palestine Monitor: 18 May 2010 - Veteran rock musician Elvis Costello has pulled out of two scheduled concerts inside Israel. The British five-time Grammy award winning singer and guitarist cited the "intimidation and humiliation of Palestinian civilians" in an open letter explaining his decision. Costello's public snub represents another major coup for the global BDS (Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions) campaign and PACBI-the department dedicated to an academic and cultural boycott of apartheid Israel. Costello follows in the footsteps of such high profile performers as Santana and Gil Scott Heron, who also pulled out of tour dates in Israel recently. It is believed the combined pressure from various branches of the international BDS movement played a major part in Costello's decision, who as recently as two weeks ago was re-iterating his desire to go ahead with the concerts in Ceasarea, Haifa. In a letter on the musician's official website he expressed concern that performing in Israel would... Elivs Costello cancels Israel concerts Palestine Note 17 May 2010 - New York - Following pressure from boycott campaigners, rock musician Elvis Costello announced on Saturday that he is canceling a pair of scheduled concerts in Israel. In a statement on his website, Costello said the decision... On my way to Athens by Gilad Atzmon Gilad Atzmon, Gilad Atzmon 5/14/2010 Next week I am going to be traveling between Istanbul, Athens and Nicosia. I will be giving concerts and talks in support of the coming Free Gaza flotilla. In the last few days, I gave many interviews to Greek papers. Here is one. I guess that it sums up many of my thoughts about Israel, Zionism, Jewish identity, Palestine, Gaza and the Free Gaza mission. Q. Where were you born and where did you spend your early years? GA: I was born in Israel in 1963. It took me many years before I realized that the place I was born in was in fact occupied Palestine. Q. Musician, author, activist, philosopher – which of these identities suits you most? GA: I am a Jazz musician. In ideal terms I would love to see myself as a person who reinvents himself on a daily basis. This is obviously a wet fantasy, a task almost impossible to achieve. But it is something to aspire to. I am academically trained as a philosopher and believe that German philosophy sets the right framework for an articulate, ideological, ethical and universal thinking. I am also an author yet I do not regard myself as an activist. I have never understood what activism stands for. I may as well mention that I am not interested in politics but rather in meaning and implications of political activity and political thinking. Q: Why do you oppose your Jewish and Israeli identity? GA: I do not oppose Jewish or Israeli identity. I oppose any possible form of Jewish politics and indeed any identity politics. The reason is simple. Since Jewish identity is racially orientated, every permutation of Jewish politics is racist to the bone and I am obviously against racism. In fact, Israel and Zionism was originally an attempt to rescue the Jew from racist politics and racial political orientation.... more.. e-mail Gaza: Music to live by 16 May 2010 - Gaza, May 16, (Pal Telegraph – By Eva Bartlet) first published: (IPS) – “Why are you rushing? Isn’t it nicer like this?” Mohammed Omer, oud teacher (an oud is similar to a lute) at the Gaza Music School, asks his student. Omer takes the oud and demonstrates, playing the song slowly, gracefully, with the ornamentations that are key to Arab... Nakba Day observations span West Bank 5/16/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - The village of Al Ma'asara, near Bethlehem, held a Palestinian cultural festival on Friday to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Nakba. Palestinian music, dance and poetry were all on display, offering a timely reminder of Palestine's ancient history and vibrant culture. Above all, the event was an assertion of Palestinian identity, and of the.... music to live by In Gaza: 15 May 2010 - *photo by Emad Badwan first published: (IPS) – “Why are you rushing? Isn’t it nicer like this?” Mohammed Omer, oud teacher (an oud is similar to a lute) at the Gaza Music School, asks his student. Omer takes the oud and demonstrates, playing the song slowly, gracefully, with the ornamentations that are key to Arab music. Mohammed Abu Suffiya, the 10-year-old student, has only been studying for six months but has already learned to read music and play a working rendition of a well known song by Lebanese singer Fairouz. Glancing only now and then at the sheet music, he begins to play again, more slowly and with more expression, his teacher accompanying him on a tabla (hand drum). *photo by Emad Badwan Mohammed Omer, 28, is one of five teachers at the Gaza Music School in Tel el Howa, Gaza City. Formerly in the Al-Quds hospital Red Crescent complex,... music to live by In Gaza: 15 May 2010 - *photo by Emad Badwan first published: (IPS) – “Why are you rushing? Isn’t it nicer like this?” Mohammed Omer, oud teacher (an oud is similar to a lute) at the Gaza Music School, asks his student. Omer takes the oud and demonstrates, playing the song slowly, gracefully, with the ornamentations that are key to Arab music. Mohammed Abu Suffiya, the 10-year-old student, has only been studying for six months but has already learned to read music and play a working rendition of a well known song by Lebanese singer Fairouz. Glancing only now and then at the sheet music, he begins to play again, more slowly and with more expression, his teacher accompanying him on a tabla (hand drum). *photo by Emad Badwan Mohammed Omer, 28, is one of five teachers at the Gaza Music School in Tel el Howa, Gaza City. Formerly in the Al-Quds hospital Red Crescent complex,... Gaza: music to live by Uruknet May 14, 2010 - "Why are you rushing? Isn’t it nicer like this?" Mohammed Omer, oud teacher (an oud is similar to a lute) at the Gaza Music School, asks his student. Omer takes the oud and demonstrates, playing the song slowly, gracefully, with the ornamentations that are key to Arab music. Mohammed Abu Suffiya, the 10-year-old student, has only... MIDEAST: Children Fight Off Israel With Music IPS GAZA CITY, May 13 (IPS) - "Why are you rushing? Isn't it nicer like this?" Mohammed Omer, oud teacher (an oud is similar to a lute) at the Gaza Music School, asks his student. Omer takes the oud and demonstrates, playing the song slowly, gracefully, with the ornamentations that are... Gaza youth learn music and challenge the occupation Electronic Intifada: 14 May 2010 - GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - Mohammed Omer, 28, is one of five teachers at the Gaza Music School in Tel al-Howa, Gaza City. Formerly in the al-Quds hospital Red Crescent complex, the school moved to its current location not far from the hospital after the complex was bombed and burned during the 23-day Israeli assault on Gaza. Eva Bartlett reports. In photos: Making music in Rafah 5/13/2010 - Palestinian children take a music class at the SOS Children's Village in Rafah on 11 May 2010. MaanImages / Hatem Omar.... Award-winning musician jailed for 25 years for raping sisters, 6 and 10 Ha'aretz - Ephraim Yegudiev, poet and lyricist for the Israel Andalusian Orchestra, sentenced after his wife informed police of sex offenses. Ozzy Osbourne to perform in Israel in the summer Ha'aretz - Former Black Sabbath singer joins a rapidly expanding list of global music stars who will be performing in Israel this summer. Iran: Arrests at 'illegal show' YNet News - Islamic Republic continues to limit its citizens: Police in Tehran detained 80 "intoxicated" youngsters at an "illegal" musical performance, conservative newspaper Kayhan ....... Diverse musical ensemble bridges cultures Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 - Chicago, Illinois - The arts profoundly reach our common core, transcend cultural barriers and link us together for a greater good. These are the reasons why Genesis at the Crossroads, a Chicago-based non-governmental organisation dedicated to... All that jazz in Pakistan Palestine Note 21 Apr 2010 - Karachi, Pakistan - Science fiction fans may remember how humans and aliens communicated with one another using a five-tone musical motif in the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind . The movie was also one... Gil Scott-Heron: don't go to the moon Electronic Intifada: 20 Apr 2010 - In an open letter to musician Gil Scott-Heron, The Electronic Intifada's Matthew Cassel urges him to cancel his upcoming concert in Tel Aviv: "Your scheduled concert in Tel Aviv is in direct violation of the call by Palestinian civil society for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. A similar boycott, which you full-heartedly supported, was called for in South Africa and helped bring an end to apartheid in that country." Video: SONGS FROM A LOST HOMELANDRhythms of resistance Uruknet April 6, 2010 - It may not be armed struggle, but music is an important weapon of cultural resistance and a means of safeguarding national identity for those Palestinian musicians living inside Israel and occupied east Jerusalem. "As Palestinians of 1948, we have struggled to stay on our land," says Rim al-Banna, a singer from Nazareth in the Galilee region... Edward Said conservatory launches competition 4/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music will launch its national music competition in Jerusalem between 8-20 April 2010 for the third year in a row. The competition will include all Palestinian areas, including West Bank, Gaza, Green Line areas and the occupied Golan Heights, a statement read. Musicians from all over Palestine will compete in all categories of music including voice. Beside a special prize Named after Marcel khalifeh for young composer. The competition will be judged by a jury of local and international musicians in different categories of music andcontestants will be divided into three age groups; Group I, below the age of 12; group II between ages 12 and 16; and group III, between ages 16 and 22. Music categories will include Arabic instruments, strings, brass and wind instruments, and guitar. 'Rhythms of resistance': Songs of Palestine and the Occupation Palestine Note 6 Apr 2010 - Al-Jazeera English explores the role of Arab Israeli (Palestinians who live inside the "green line" demarcating Israel's internationally recognized borders) singers and musicians in preserving Palestinian culture and resisting the Occupation in "Songs from a Lost... Jerusalem: Words, Lies and No Action Palestine Chronicle: 30 Mar 2010 - By Sonja Karkar 'There isn't one I haven't heard' or so goes one of the lines in a well-known American musical. Yet, this time the world is imbuing the words with new meaning when it comes to US/Israel relations. The hope is that at long last the US is going to discipline Israel. Alas, in the flurry of words, the music has not changed. America seems as much bedazzled by Israel as a parent who is blind to the antics of an over-indulged, demanding child. No amount of insults seems to shatter their illusion that the precious being is in fact a monster. In their attempts to convince the rest of us not so enamoured, they fail to see that they have allowed their symbiotic relationships to become abusive. Just as the parent can no longer control a child’s obnoxious behaviour, so too America finds itself hamstrung by Israel’s illegal...more US college debuts course on Palestinian culture 3/29/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - An American college in Chicopee, Mass. will soon kick off a spring-summer series for adults this April with a non-credit course on Palestinian culture, news reports said. The Springfield, Mass. -based publication The Republican reported Saturday that a course offered by the Elms College will be presented by visiting scholar Ghada Issa, a Fulbright scholar teaching two semesters. "I will act as an ambassador of my country," Issa told the newspaper. "I will give an introduction [to Palestinian culture] from my point of view as a Palestinian, and let others know about my culture and my people. " According to the report, the five-week course will cover social life, religion, language, music and traditional Palestinian embroidery. Issa said she will also teach students some basic moves to traditional Palestinian dance. Related: Elms College Words!words!words! Palestine Note 29 Mar 2010 - "There isn't one I haven't heard" or so goes one of the lines in a well-known American musical. Yet, this time the world is imbuing the words with new meaning when it comes to US/Israel relations.... "We are defending our culture": an interview with Samir Joubran Electronic Intifada: 29 Mar 2010 - Earlier this month the Palestinian group Le Trio Joubran gave a concert in Geneva to support the work of the Association Meyrin-Palestine, which is planning to build a cultural center in Gaza. Le Trio Joubran is comprised of three brothers, Samir, Wissam and Adnan Joubran, who play the oud , a pear-shaped instrument from the Middle East related to the lute. The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof spoke with Samir Joubran about the trio's music. VIDEO - Animation produced in Palestine: struggles with breast cancer in Gaza 3/25/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Directed by Ahmad Habash - Fatenah is a 27 year old woman living in the Gaza Strip. Her life is similar to the lives of many other women in Gaza. Her life changes the day she discovers to have breast cancer. This animation, the first produced in Palestine, shows with great accuracy the scenarios of Gaza city. The 27 minutes long story is a breath-taking journey into Fatenah's daily struggles. It uncovers the human drama of her fight to survive. This journey into the heart of the Gaza Strip will touch and move you. - In 3 parts - Directed by Ahmad Habash, Screenplay Saed Andoni, Ahmad Habash, Ambrogio Manenti, Produced by Saed Andoni, Music Said Murad, Editing Saed Andoni, Animation Ahmad Habash, Director of Photography Ahmad Habash, Sound Designer -- Zaher Rashmawi, Voices – Actors: Buthaina Sumairi (Fatenah), Ahmad Abu Saloom (Abu Rasheed), Shaden Saleem (Amal), Imad Ahmad (Mualem), Mesbah Deeb (Ayman), Waleed Aqel (Dr. Hebron rappers release debut album 3/20/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - The Black Revolution, a Hebron rap group, released its debut album on Saturday entitled Revolution, with songs describing the situation in the southern West Bank city in particular, and conditions across the occupied Palestinian territories. Written by band members and recorded at the studios of the Palestinian Center for Information, Research and Development, the album includes nine songs. Two of the songs, Soldier and BR, have accompanying music videos, directed by Shadi Ash-Sharif and Mousa Al-Qawasmi in Gaza, with footage of Israel's 2008-2009 assault on the coastal enclave taken from the archives of the Palestinian Broadcasting Cooperation. The album's cover sleeve includes the lyrics in both Arabic and English. Members of The Black Revolution told journalists that their debut album conveyed the voice of Palestinians to the international and local community. THE GAZA MUSIC SCHOOL Uruknet March 20, 2010 - On Tuesday 23 December 2008, in the theater of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Tal El-Hawa, in Gaza City, was given a concert to mark the first three months of teaching at the Gaza Music School. We listened to an orchestra, solo performances of mature musicians, as well as little girls and boys who tried... Thousands Attend Sheikh Jarrah Demonstration, Internationals Attacked by Riot Police 3/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Saturday, March 6th - Thousands attended last Saturday's demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah, demanding an end to the home evictions which have displaced hundreds of Palestinian residents. Gathering peacefully for speeches and live music in the park opposite the neighborhood, demonstrators chanted and sang before marching in the streets and attempting to pass the police barricades which obstructed demonstrators from reaching the neighborhood itself. Settlers held a small counter-demonstration in a nearby street. Following the demonstration, Palestinian and settler residents returned to the neighborhood. As the street filled with people, a group of several dozen riot police ran down the street towards the gathering crowd. After clearing the crowds to the sidewalk, police began grabbing the International activists who were standing peacefully on the sidewalk. Bethlehem remembers slain fighters 3/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinians in Bethlehem marked the two-year anniversary of the Israeli assassination of four local men on Friday, an event that shocked the city. Israeli operatives driving a car with Palestinian license plates gunned down Mohammad Shahada, Issa Marzouq, Imad Al-Kamel, and Ahmad Al-Balboul while they were waiting in a car outside of a bakery in Bethlehem's city center early on the evening of 12 March 2008. All four were members of Palestinain political factions or militant wings banned by Israel: Shahada, Marzouq and Al-Kamel were members of Islamic Jihad. Al-Balboul was affiliated with Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades. In a memorial on Friday, Palestinians in cars waving flags and playing patriotic music paraded down Bethlehem's main street. The spectacular killing of four prominent men caused deep sorrow and rage in Bethlehem. for the children In Gaza: 5 Mar 2010 - Arab Abu Ghazel, northern Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip: we are roughly 1 km from the norther border, in an area which was doused by bombs during Israel’s winter 2008-2009 massacre of Gaza. the area, with the norther border near, the sea a few kilometres away, and the eastern border within earshot, is regularly inundated with the Israeli army shelling and shooting that others hear less frequently, padded by city walls or cafe music. the children living here are among Gaza’s poorest, largely from bedouin families whose herding-based incomes have been been decimated by the absence of growth, fodder, for their flocks, by the bombings, by the siege. the children are traumatized multiple times over, by Israel’s war games, by their poverty, by their geographical isolation. GIVE and Local Initiative, two Gaza-based organizations, are visiting these 50 or so children, throwing a party today, alleviating their stress and boredom, if temporarily.... Tulkarem radio host ordered held for 50 days 3/3/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - An Israeli military court sentenced the director of a Ma'an-affiliated Tulkarem radio station to 50 days in prison and a 1,500 shekel penalty. Omar Bleidy, owner and sometimes host of the Tulkarem station Kul An-Nas (All the People) was seized from his home by Israeli soldiers on Tuesday night. Witnesses said soldiers surrounded Bleidy's house before detaining him. Bleidy has not been charged with any crime, and the reasons for his detention remain unclear. The local station broadcasts a variety of general interest programs, news and music. Kul An-Nas is a member station of Ma'an Network. Bleidy was among ten detained overnight, according to Israeli media, with one detained from Jenin, two from the Ramallah area and six from the Bethlehem municipality. Israeli media said all ten were "wanted" by Israeli officials. Reports from the Bethlehem-area town of Ad-Doha and the Duheisha refugee camp confirmed the reported six detentions from the area. Author David Grossman receives lifetime achievement award Ha'aretz 2 Mar 2010 - The Composers, Authors and Publishers Society of Israel (ACUM) has chosen author David Grossman as one of the recipients of this year's lifetime-achievement awards, the organization announced yesterday. ... Al-Asheqeen bandleader: A dream come true 3/1/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Mohammed Diab, a singer and leader of the renowned Palestinian band Al-Asheqeen spoke with Ma'an on Monday about his London-based musical group, his career, and his first trip to the occupied Palestinian territories. Diab, born in a Syrian refugee camp, said "it was like a dream come true to be in Palestine. I can't believe it myself. I love Palestine - it is a very beautiful country and words are not enough to describe what I am feeling right now. " "Palestine is a special nation, totally different from any other," he told Ma'an's editor-in-chief, Nasser Lahham. "I say to all Palestinians refugee camps abroad [the right of return] is so close. A day will come when all Palestinians will arrive to the homeland. I have traveled to Holland, across the UK and Lebanon, and wherever I go, they call on me to sing my national songs, which speak of Palestine, incarceration, and Palestinian suffering under occupation. " . . . . In photos: US hip hop group HaviKoro perform in Nablus 2/19/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The US Consulate in Jerusalem sponsored local performances by The HaviKoro Crew, a hip hop group based in Houston, Texas, playing to capacity crowds in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, organizers said. The crew, whose next stop is Jordan, are part of an ongoing initiative by the US representatives officeto promote "mutual understanding and stronger ties between Palestinians and Americans," a statement said. The initiative has seen Jazz, rap and Swing groups perform across Palestine in recent years, in what was described as an effort to expose Palestinians to music and culture that is uniquely American, with a global influence. HaviKoro, like the bands that came before them, performed for audiences and conducted workshops across Palestine. Students in Ramallah, Nablus and East Jerusalem were treated to day-long dance classes as the crew shared their moves with eager children and young adults. Stockholm Technical University tried to stop meeting about research collaboration with Israel Palestine Monitor: 17 Feb 2010 - Wednesday 10 February Rector Peter Gudmundson of the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) decided that a meeting entitled "Why should we boycott Israel?" would not be allowed to use the premises of the university. The organizers of the meeting, The Action Group at KTH for Boycott of Israel, considered that Rector's decision is at odds with the constitutional right to assembly. Therefore the meeting was held as scheduled. The meeting focused largely on the relations between KTH and Israel Institute of Technology Technion, Haifa, with which KTH has an agreement about collaboration since 1998. The agreement is about exchange of students, teachers, research staff and general research cooperation. In order to discuss the issue of boycott as an instrument to make Israel respect International Law, the Action group invited the famous Swedish-Israeli composer and artist Dror Feiler, who is also the President of European Jews for a Just Peace. He... Adalah-NY: New York Campaign for Boycott of Israel 2/12/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - NEW YORK, February 12, 2010 (WAFA- For the third year in a row, human rights advocates will use music, song parodies and chants to invite Madison Avenue shoppers to shop with conscience before Valentine’s Day, Adalah-NY reported. Under the theme “Diamonds are Forever, but Apartheid Has to End”, protesters will entertain while they educate with favorites like “Lev's Diamond’s Are a Crime’s Best Friend” and new editions like “Its Apartheid, So you shouldn't put a ring on it“ sung to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies. ”These efforts, which are part of a growing international campaign, come in response to documented human rights abuses in the Angolan diamond industry as well as Leviev's funding of Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, an activity that violates international law. Since the start of the boycott campaign against Leviev, UNICEF, Oxfam, the British Government and major Hollywood stars have all distanced themselves from Leviev. Naseer Shamma and the music of resistance Electronic Intifada: 4 Feb 2010 - Celebrated Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma plays emotive compositions in beautiful tones on the oud to major audiences across the Middle East, stirring musical reflections on human realities in US-occupied Iraq. Although Iraqi current affairs are clearly interwoven into Shamma's sound, it is also unique musical talent that has earned Shamma a reputation as one of the world's preeminent oud players. Stefan Christoff profiles Shamma for The Electronic Intifada. Said conservatory preps for national competition 2/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music invited Palestinian youth from the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights to participate in their third national music competition. From 2001-2005 the conservatory hosted internal competitions annually, and in 2006 they opened the spectacle to a national body of musicians, hosting the event biennially. The 2008 competition was the first to include voice. A statement from conservatory officials said the competition "aims at encouraging young musicians and music students to improve their musical performance and at enriching the musical culture in Palestine as a whole. "Mohamad Maragha, the activity coordinator at the conservatory, said the event was the only one of its kind in Palestine, bringing together multiple facets of Palestinian music from all parts of Palestine. Exhibition "Palestine is beautiful - Innovation picture .. .. the article explicitly and realistic 1 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 01, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -Sharek Youth Forum opened in cooperation with the French-German Cultural Center yesterday, the exhibition "Palestine pretty" pictures, films, writings, and music of the Middle Eastern media Bags Curzon Hall last Ramallah, which will continue until 15 February, the exhibits presented during the festival Binali Clermont Veareran "codes for a trip travel" in France.... TWENTY-TWO HOURS IN SHEIKH JARRAH Palestine Monitor - 18 Jan 2010 - January 14, 2010: a concert in Sheikh Jarrah featuring the politically-charged musical groups DAM and System Ali. January 15, 2010: the weekly demonstration against house evictions at the same location. The problem: only one permit for public gatherings was issued for the week. The result: mass... From now on, only Israeli music to be played at schools Ha'aretz 13 Jan 2010 - Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) Tuesday instructed school principals to play only Israeli music over loudspeakers to mark study breaks and to use Israeli songs more frequently in school ceremonies. ... Record numbers crowd Bethlehem for New Year’s 1/2/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Bethlehem's halls and restaurants were filled New Year's Eve with an estimated 10,000 out of town visitors from all parts of the West Bank, and the city's Manger Square was full of celebrators though no official event had been arranged. Tickets for private parties in dozens of Bethlehem hotels were sold out, celebrations in Beit Sahour and Beit Jala were also full. Parties had guests from Hebron in the south, Ramallah in the center, Nablus, Qalqiliya, and Jenin in the north as well as Nazareth, Haifa and Jerusalem. For the first time, Bethlehem residents saw street parties, concentrated in Manger Square, where locals and international tourists and pilgrims celebrated and danced to music spontaneously pumped out of car speakers and phones. Police were caught off guard by the large numbers in the street, and huge ammounts of traffic turning Bethlehem streets into parking lots in the hours around midnight. [uruknet.info] Israeli Arab MK: Barak enjoys classical music and killing Gaza children Uruknet January 1, 2010 - Some 1,000 people, among them all of Israel's Arab MKs and community leaders, gathered Thursday at the Israeli side of the Gaza border to express solidarity with the residents of Gaza, one year after Israel's offensive there. MK Taleb A-Sana relayed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's message to the Israeli side via a mobile phone. During the... Hundreds celebrate Christmas Mass in Bethlehem YNet News 25 Dec 2009 - Palestinian worshippers, pilgrims gather in Jesus' traditional birthplace to celebrate Christian holiday. 'It's interesting seeing the dichotomy of religions, nationalities mixing together. There's a lot of respect for each other,' says young American musician visiting holy city for first time Manger Square celebrations a party for all 12/25/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - After Latin Patriarch Fuad Twal lead dozens of scouts through Bethlehem's Star Street and into Manger Square, families milled around the Old City, enjoying carols, hot corn, roasted nuts and cotton candy. Kids of all ages and visitors from all corners of the West Bank joined pilgrims and dignitaries for the live music under the glow of thousands of Christmas lights. Palestinians of every faith shared in the sounds of artists from around the world, preferring dance rhythms to the mournful songs, many penned in the honor of peace for Palestine. Khalid, selling hot cardamon coffee to revelers in the square, rolled his eyes at one artist, telling his customers to "make peace happen. ""We forget about the occupation today, it's a party; we are here to have fun," he said. Dancers took the break as songs for peace in Spanish rippled across the open air venue,. . . Bethlehem gets first Christmas rock concert PNN 23 Dec 2009 - BETHLEHEM, West Bank — O Come All Ye Faithful to Bethlehem's first Christmas rock festival. A young musician who grew up near Jesus' traditional birthplace feels the old-fashioned way of marking the holiday — hanging around Manger Square and listening to carols — is a little dull.So Emmanuel Fleckenstein has organized a three-day battle of the bands that he hopes will attract... [uruknet.info] JORDAN: Palestinian Refugees Live Out Lives in Limbo Uruknet December 22, 2009 - Music enlivens the yellow taxi as it traverses the Jordanian capital. A small Palestinian flag hangs from the rearview mirror. Jihad, the cab driver, says his father fled here from the Palestinian West Bank in 1948. "Thank God almighty, life is good for me here and I can offer my family a decent life," he says. "... JORDAN: Palestinian Refugees Live Out Lives in Limbo IPS AMMAN, Dec 21 (IPS) - Music enlivens the yellow taxi as it traverses the Jordanian capital. A small Palestinian flag hangs from the rearview mirror. Jihad, the cab driver, says his father fled here from the Palestinian West Bank in 1948. Palestinian refugees in Jordan live out their lives in constant 'temporary' limbo Daily Star 22 Dec 2009 Music enlivens the yellow taxi as it traverses the Jordanian capital. A small Palestinian flag hangs from the rearview mirror. Jihad, the cab driver, says his father fled here from the Palestinian West Bank in 1948. "Thank God almighty, life is good for me here and I can offer my family a decent life," he says. "While my father was Palestinian, I feel today Jordanian and I hold the Jordanian nationality. Israeli repression of Palestinian celebrations in the heart of Jerusalem 12/19/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 17 December - A spectacular and proud celebration of Palestinian and Arab culture in Jerusalem's Old City on Thursday, December 17, 2009, was brutally repressed by Israeli military and police. A rare celebration of Palestinian and Arab culture in Jerusalem's Old City started around 10:30am on Thursday, December 17, 2009, with a group of musicians leading a march from Damascus Gate to the very center of the Old City, attracting marchers and cheers from merchants and shoppers along the route. Thursday's celebrations served not only as a reassertion of Palestinian identity in occupied Jerusalem, but also as a local closing event for Jerusalem as Capital of Arab Culture for 2009. The official closing ceremony, however, was held in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, that afternoon, since the Israeli government has prohibited such expressions of Palestinian identity and culture in the areas under its immediate military control, which include Jerusalem. True Sound of Palestine PNN 8 Dec 2009 - Khaled Jubran was born in Galilee in 1961. After studying Musicology,Music theory and Composition, and teaching at Jerusalem's Rubin Academy, in 1994 he founded and headed the Arabic music department of the Palestinian National Conservatory of Music in Ramallah as well as being a member of its Oriental Music Ensemble. In 2001, he founded the Urmawi Centre for Mashriq Music, named after... Is Angelina Jolie sponsoring Jordanian orphans? Ha'aretz 9 Dec 2009 - Famous actress and philanthropist Angelina Jolie has been secretly supporting seven Jordanian children and is considering buying them a house, Contact music website reported on Wednesday. ... Olive harvest concludes with festival, new report 12/6/2009 - Stop The Wall - Several weeks ago, the olive harvest concluded with a festival in the Nablus area village of Burin. Under the banner “our enemies are the settlements and our path is resistance”, the festival celebrated the end of the harvest with traditional dance and music from local groups and a number of speakers. Both party representatives as well as grassroots activists attended the festival, where they praised farmers and their steadfastness (sumud) in the face of the ongoing assault by soldiers and settlers. The settlers near Burin are especially infamous, meaning the village is attacked frequently; last month 1,200 trees were burned or cut by settlers, and 3,000 faced the same fate the month before. Speakers then turned to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), demanding that it take up its responsibility to protect and support the farmers. -- Link: Download the Olive Harvest 2009 report (PDF) UN uses speeches, photo exhibit and concert to voice solidarity with Palestinians 11/30/2009 - United Nations - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Riyad H. Mansour of the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine30 November 2009 – The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is being observed today at United Nations Headquarters in New York with a special commemorative meeting, a new photographic exhibition and a concert by Maqamat, an orchestra of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. Addressing today’s meeting, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that it is vital that a sovereign State of Palestine is achieved, noting that the Palestinian people continue to struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination – a fundamental, universal human right enjoyed by so many others across the world. “Vigorous international efforts are essential for advancing the political process, ending the occupation and achieving a solution to all permanent status issues,” he stated. Greek football delegation concludes Palestine tour 11/29/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Greek delegation of veteran footballers and musicians left the occupied Palestinian territories on Saturday evening, following a week of events and visits organized by the Greek organization Struggle Until Victory Forever. The delegation included Greek singer Vasilis Lekkas and a number of Greece's members of parliament. On Thursday, a friendly football match was held between veteran Palestinian and Greek footballers at the Feisal Husseini Stadium in Ar-Ram, the Palestinian team winning 3-1. The Greek delegation toured Palestinian refugee camps and the Israeli Separation Wall, in addition to late President Yasser Arafat's grave in Ramallah, where they placed flowers. A tour of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was postponed on Friday until the afternoon, as the Struggle Until Victory, Forever delegation participated in the Bil'in and Ni'lin protests against Israel's Separation Wall. Residents of Sheikh Jarrah hold Eid al-Adha prayers and demonstrations against ethnic cleansing and house evictions 11/29/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 27 November - On Friday 27 November 2009, the Eid al-Adha celebration in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, was marked by prayers and demonstrations. In the night unto Eid, the sleep in the neighbourhood was disturbed at 2am by loud music coming from a street party attended by Jewish settler youths, who gathered outside the Shimon HaTzadik Tomb, located just behind the Palestinian houses. This is the same location from which Jewish settlers threw stones at the Palestinian houses in the middle of the night on Friday 6 November. The disturbing music was played for 30 minutes until the police blue-lights drew near. At 7am, the Palestinian families gathered in an open field in the neighbourhood to hold the traditional Eid Friday prayer. The prayer was led by Sheikh Raed Salah, an influential and well known imam, who in his speech talked about the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948, 1967, and until present. VIDEO - Ctrl Alt Shift Film Competition Winner No Way Through 11/24/2009 - YouTube - Written and Directed by: Alexandra Monro + Sheila Menon, Mentor: Jim Threapleton, Music: The Thirst -- No Way Through highlights mobility restrictions imposed in the West Bank, that are limiting its habitants access to health care, thus violating a fundamental human right. Take Action to help people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories get justice. -- Links: Ambulances Denied Access to Neighborhoods in E. Jerusalem without Police Escort [end] Burin celebrates successful olive harvest, despite numerous settler attacks 11/19/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 18 November 2009 - On Wednesday 18 November, the village of Burin (south of Nablus) celebrated the successful conclusion of its olive harvest. More than 400 villagers came together to hear speeches by locals and nationally renowned politicians (including member of Knesset Mohammed Baraka, general secretary of Hadash), as well as to see the young men of the village dance the Dabke, the traditional dance of Palestine. A large stage with sound system had been set up outside the local boys' school and the festivities commenced at around 11am. Braving weather that seemed to change every 5 minutes from pleasantly warm to freezing cold, the villagers listened to speeches and music in clear view from the illegal settlement of Yitzhar, one that has caused its fair share of problems for the village during the harvest. Only 6 days before the event, settlers from Yitzhar attacked the fields of Burin, cutting down 97 trees.
Gilad jazz in support of Palestinian plight John Lewis - LONDON, Middle East Online 3/7/2009 Israeli artist - one of London’s finest saxophonists - takes Palestinian cause with him on British tour - Manic Beat Preacher - A few days before I meet Gilad Atzmon, he finds himself at the centre of an international storm. The prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoǧan, has approvingly cited Atzmon during a debate with Israeli president Shimon Peres. "Atzmon, a Jew himself," said Erdoǧan, "says that Israeli barbarity is far beyond even ordinary cruelty. "Ever since, Atzmon has been getting 200 emails a day, his BlackBerry is constantly buzzing and his words are being debated by hundreds of bloggers around the world. Atzmon is revelling in the attention. "A world leader quoting an artist? " he laughs. "Isn’t that incredible? Not a singer, not even a fucking pianist, but a stupid fucking saxophonist! Ha!" It may come as a surprise to some that Atzmon is a saxophonist at all. His career as a musician has long been drowned out by the clatter of his extra-curricular activities:. . . more.. e-mail
Lebanese composer Mansour Rahbani dies Middle East Online 1/13/2009 BEIRUT - Lebanese composer and musician Mansour Rahbani, 83, a well-known figure in the Arab world, died on Tuesday following a long illness, Lebanon’s national news agency announced. Rahbani was the brother-in-law of Lebanese singing diva Fairuz, for whom he composed many poems and songs along with his brother Assi. [end]
Haredi listeners fear séance involved in album production Yoav Friedman, YNetNews 12/9/2008 (Audio) New CD featuring digitally mastered tracks based on old recordings of dead cantors prompt concern among buyers fearing producers ’raised the dead’ to record album - AUDIO - A recently released album containing songs performed by legendary cantors has been causing turmoil among the ultra-Orthodox community due to the simple fact that the performers are all dead. Record company AMC, which produced the album titled "In Those Days, At This Season," used old recordings, had the sound digitally improved and added background music performed by a philharmonic orchestra. This process of audio manipulation has apparently disturbed many buyers, who flooded the company with questions and complaints: "How is it that the cantor knows to wait for the orchestra? There must be some sort of spell here - is this séance? Does the Halacha allow tampering with the voices of. . . more.. e-mail
The microphone is the weapon Noam Ben-Zeev, Ha’aretz 12/4/2008 BETHLEHEM, the end of November - "The European-Palestinian Hip Hop Tour" arrives after gigs in Jenin, Nablus and Ramallah. At 7 P. M. the Al Nadwa Cultural Center is already buzzing. Palestinian-German rapper Wassim Taha, aka Massive, is thrilling the audience, Palestinian-Danish rapper Mohammad Marwan, aka Marwan - symbolically dressed like an injured person, using crutches - both sings and moderates the evening and also talks on the phone to PR, the Gazan rapper who was not allowed to leave the Strip to join the concert. Everyone is waiting for the international star, Shadia Mansour - the British Palestinian who mixes rock and Arab folk music and whose voice shifts from hard rap to nearly operatic lyricism. Her coming on stage is greeted by huge applause and her set has everyone dancing. more.. e-mail
VIDEO - Gaza hip-hop trio overcomes many obstacles to transmit music to world Haaretz Staff and Channel 10, Ha’aretz 11/26/2008 Haaretz. com/Channel 10 daily feature for November 25, 2008 Three young Gaza residents harboring no small amount of frustration have found a creative outlet to transmit their message to the world. The three comprise "Black Unit Band," a hip-hop trio making music in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, not always the friendliest breeding ground for Western culture. But even getting music made depends on Israel’s goodwill. The studio in which Black Unit Band was recording their first album closed down recently due to power outages, brought on by Israel’s refusal to let fuel into the coastal territory. But they plan on heading back to the studio soon, and there’s no doubt that current events will continue to provide excellent fodder for new material. more.. e-mail
Mahmoud Darwish Commemorated in London Mamoon Alabbasi - London, Palestine Chronicle 11/7/2008 ’Darwish’s vision lives on after his death. ’The life and works of the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish were celebrated in London Monday in a special event that paid tribute to the renowned Arab writer. The event, organised by Exiled Writers Ink, included readings from the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish and other poets, literary analyses of some of his work, a short musical piece, and a documentary extract. Wasting little time on prose, Fathieh Saudi, poet and chair of Exiled Writers Ink, recited verses of Darwish’s poetry at the intervals when presenting each participant. A poem by Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter in memory of Mahmoud Darwish was read on his behalf by Joanna Carolan, a writer and performer. The poem, entitled ’Death’, ended with:Did you wash the dead body Did you close both its eyes Did you bury the body Did you leave it abandoned Did you kiss the dead body The more.. e-mail
’Riot grrrl’ fuses feminism with Zionism in pioneering publication Raphael Ahren, Ha’aretz 11/7/2008 Hadass Ben-Ari is not the first Anglo to move to Jerusalem because she "fell in love" with Israel during a short-term visit. But while most other Jews her age come to the capital to study or to work for a Jewish organization, the 26-year-old Ben-Ari spends her time publishing Fallopian Falafel, "the first and only Jerusalem-based feminist zine, bringing riot grrrl culture to the holy land. ""Riot grrrl" is no typo but an underground feminist punk/heavy metal movement that started in America in the early 1990s. Besides being a music scene, the riot grrrl subculture consists of political activism and a spirit of DIY (Do it yourself), which includes the publication of so-called zines (short for fanzine) - non-commercial pamphlets with small circulations. "It was mostly a self defense mechanism," Ben-Ari said in explaining how she got involved with the movement as a 22-year-old journalism student while living with her parents in Canada. more.. e-mail
Mahmoud Darwish commemorated in London Mamoon Alabbasi – LONDON, Middle East Online 11/6/2008 The life and works of the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish were celebrated in London Monday in a special event that paid tribute to the renowned Arab writer. The event, organised by Exiled Writers Ink, included readings from the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish and other poets, literary analyses of some of his work, a short musical piece, and a documentary extract. Wasting little time on prose, Fathieh Saudi, poet and chair of Exiled Writers Ink, recited verses of Darwish’s poetry at the intervals when presenting each participant. A poem by Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter in memory of Mahmoud Darwish was read on his behalf by Joanna Carolan, a writer and performer. The poem, entitled ‘Death’, ended with: Did you wash the dead body Did you close both its eyes Did you bury the body Did you leave it abandoned Did you kiss. . . more.. e-mail
You can’t say no to peace Noam Ben Zeev, Ha’aretz 10/8/2008 Musicians from 70 leading orchestras and 40 countries, including someIsraelis from local orchestras and even one Palestinian, will gather here to perform for a symbolic fee, under the heading "A message of peace to Israel and the Middle East. "By playing "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" by Berliner Felix Mendelssohn and works by Viennese composer Gustav Mahler and contemporary British composer Roxanna Panufnik, they will reflect the "unique strength of music as an ambassador of peace," according to the man who founded the orchestra in 1993, legendary conductor Georg Solti. What is there about classical music that causes it to serve repeatedly as a symbol of peace and brotherhood? According to the cliche, since music is an abstract art and lacks all elements of representation such as visuals or ideas (and in the opinion of composer Igor Stravinsky even emotions), it is capable of bridging cultural differences. more.. e-mail
Tag Rugby Match at Taybeh Oktoberfest Maria C. Khoury – Taybeh, West Bank, Palestine Chronicle 10/2/2008 ’The Taybeh Oktoberfest is a two days event promoting local products with music and dance groups. ’The community of Taybeh, in the West Bank is going to keep its leading role this year by continuing to make history in Palestine. Along with introducing the first Palestinian non-alcoholic beer at the 2008 Oktoberfest, Taybeh will also host the first time ever Tag Rugby Match in Palestine between the Ramallah Blue Snakes and Beit Jala Lions RFC at 1 pm on Sunday, October 12, 2008 at the Taybeh Soccer Field, North entrance of Taybeh. If you like to see amazing and extraordinary things just come to Taybeh. As a side note, October 12th was the first Oktoberfest ever held in the world in Bavaria in 1810. The first Rugby Club in Palestine was founded in October 2007 in Beit Jala when a group of young men set up the first Palestinian Rugby Team ( www. more.. e-mail
Rugby and local products in Taybeh Palestine News Network 10/2/2008 Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D. - The community of Taybeh is continuing to make history in Palestine this year with the first tag rugby match planned for Oktoberfest. Music and local products will be part of the celebration. Along with introducing the first Palestinian non alcoholic beer at the 2008 Oktoberfest, Taybeh will also host the first time ever Tag Rugby Match in Palestine between the Ramallah Blue Snakes and Beit Jala Lions RFC at 1 pm on Sunday, 12 October 12 at the Taybeh Soccer Field, North entrance of Taybeh. The first Rugby Club in Palestine was founded in October 2007 in Beit Jala when a group of young men set up the first Palestinian Rugby Team (see link) with the help of Kevin Kelleher and Leam O’Brain who continue their current support from Ireland. The team consists of twelve official passionate players from the age of eighteen to twenty-eight. -- See also: www.beitjalalions.com more.. e-mail
Celebration of other voices Ayelet Dekel, Ha’aretz 10/3/2008 "My poem is in classic Arabic. I hope someone will understand it," said Wael Ahmad Ammoorah, a Lebanese-Jordanian poet visiting Israel for the first time as part of the three-day Sha’ar International Poetry Festival, which was held last month and organized by Helicon - the Society for the Advancement of Poetry in Israel. Icelandic, Chinese and Dutch were among the languages heard in quick succession as the festival opened with a "world tour" of 14 poets reading in 12 different languages. The auditorium was filled with an audience eager for dialogue, attentive to the music and emotion of the poets’ voices. In the outside courtyard of Tel Aviv’s Inbal Ethnic Theater stood a poetry "tree," with poems hanging from its branches, swaying in the nighttime breeze, beckoning passersby to linger a little and read. more.. e-mail
Relationships of self, state and suffering among big questions at new art show Ma’an News Agency 9/29/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – A cooperative art project titled “id - Identity of the Soul” is scheduled to have its global debut in Palestine this October. Begun before Darwish’s death on 9 August, the show will memorialize the ideas of the poet, who was buried in Ramallah on 13 August amidst throngs of Palestinian and international mourners. Among the central questions to be raised by the performance are those about the individual and their relationship with the state. The multidisciplinary art show combines archival film footage, new cinematic creations, live dance, music and poetry presented on a stage surrounded by five 8x5 meter screens, and inspired by the works of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, andNorwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The show was put together by the Oslo-based branch of the UK Arts Alliance, and inspired by two principal works. more.. e-mail
Cairo-based American acoustic trio wraps up West Bank tour Ma’an News Agency 9/26/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The United States Consulate in Jerusalem once again brought an American music act to cities in the West Bank, keeping with its annual Ramadan tradition. This year, the Ramadan program headlined Cairo-based American acoustic trio The Fuuls, which performed its self-described “Americana set” at live shows in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem. Musicians on guitar, sax, dobro and bass, along with vocals—some new, others borrowed from classic rockers like David Bowie and the Rolling Stones—kicked off the concert portion of the program at an at-capacity public concert in Ramallah on Monday. Post-Iftar performances in Jerusalem and Beit Sahour followed on Tuesday and Wednesday, while workshops were conducted in Nablus and Bethlehem between shows. The band’s renditions of rock and country songs intrigued Palestinian audiences at a Tuesday show near Bethlehem. more.. e-mail
Classic in a modern tone Rania Khallaf, Al-Ahram Weekly 9/25/2008 Rania Khallaf tunes in to the modern voice of Sayed Darwish - It took only few years for Eskendrella to acquire its fame and an audience. Formed like many other musical groups in Egypt in 2005, the band with its focus on Sayed Darwish and Sheikh Imam Eissa’s music immediately clicked with audiences of all ages. My first encounter with the band was just a few months after their first performance at Saqiyat Al-Sawy. Three years is not a long time to allow for assessment, but one could say that the band has truly succeeded in attracting more and more audiences of all walks of life, including foreigners, in Cairo. The name Eskendrella is a mix of " Eskendria ", the colloquial name for Alexandria, and Cinderella. "We find it an attractive and expressive name. "It tells much about us: we are the Cinderella of modern singing and Eskendria is our beloved city, where Sayed Darwish was born," says Shadi Mo’ness, oud player and one of the founders of the band. more.. e-mail
US Fulbrighter promotes peace through music with Palestinian-Israeli band Ma’an News Agency 9/22/2008 Jerusalem -Ma’an/Agencies – To cap off his year as a Fulbright-MTV scholar, Aaron Shneyer presided over a special concert at Jerusalem’s International YMCA on 21 September, International Peace Day. The concert brought together Israeli and Palestinian musicians who participated in Mr. Shneyer’s “Heartbeat Project,” conducted with support from the US government’s Fulbright program. Under the “Heartbeat Project,” Mr Shneyer reached out to young Palestinian and Israeli musicians to invite them to joint jam sessions on a weekly basis over the course of many months in order to form a joint Israeli-Palestinian band. Mr Shneyer described the sessions as an opportunity to “come together each week to experience and explore music’s power to bring people together and create meaningful social change. ”He said the young musicians “have taught each other makamat and blues scales, they have written. . . more.. e-mail
Ethereal entertainment makes its way down Hamra Street Special to The Daily Star, Daily Star 9/4/2008 BEIRUT: You can hear Cie le SAMU making their way along Hamra Street long before you can see them. The jazz music of the four-piece band works its way along the boulevard, swelling the sense of anticipation among the small crowd waiting at the Hamra Center square. A drummer leads three other musicians, trundling her drum-kit along on a specially fitted trolley. Behind her, the three men play brass instruments as they follow behind the beat. As they reach the square, the performance of "A bout de Souffle" truly begins. The musicians sit down beside customers at a neighboring cafe, playing their instruments from the chairs lining the pavement. At this close range, it becomes possible to notice the details in their costumes and the hair that has been powered gray before its time - designed to give an impression of age, which the players played upon repeatedly throughout their performance. more.. e-mail
Haredim move to eradicate ’foreign’ pop Matthew Wagner, Jerusalem Post 9/2/2008 Musicians who use rock, rap, reggae and trance influences will not receive rabbinic approval for their CDs, nor will they be allowed to play in wedding halls under haredi kosher food supervision, according to a new, detailed list of guidelines drafted with rabbinical backing that differentiates between "kosher" and "treif" music. The guidelines, which are still being formulated, also ban "2-4 beats and other rock and disco beats;" the "improper" use of electric bass, guitars and saxophones; and singing words from holy sources in a disrespectful, frivolous manner. "Michael Jackson-style music has no place in our community," says Mordechai Bloi, a senior member of the Guardians of Sanctity and Education, an organization based in Bnei Brak that enforces what it sees as normative haredi behavior. "We might be able to adopt Bach or Beethoven, music with class, but not goyishe African music and beats. more.. e-mail
The Voice of Mahmoud Darwish Ibtisam Barakat, Middle East Online 8/15/2008 COLUMBIA, Missouri – On Saturday August 9th in the afternoon, I was getting ready to give a talk about Palestinian olive trees to a gathering of authors and thinkers at Keystone College in Pennsylvania. For the title of the presentation, I cracked the word olive in two, and turned it into O’ Live! But death mocked me. Shortly before I left my room for the talk, the phone rang. It was my friend, musician Saed Muhssin, calling me from San Francisco. His voice was deep like a valley, barely climbing up to speak: “Have you heard? ” he asked. “This is hard news,” he warned. “Mahmoud Darwish died today. ” My mind cried. My heart ached with all of the unhealed Palestinian losses that are recalled with each new loss—losses Darwish made sure to record in his poetry. I belong there. I have many memories, Darwish wrote. Memories that he recorded in at least 30 books of poetry and prose, translated into at least 20 languages. more.. e-mail
Mahmoud Darwish: Palestinian ’poet of the resistance’ The Independent 8/11/2008 The poet Mahmoud Darwish was the voice of the Palestinian odyssey, whose stark writing reflected the desperation and alienation of the Palestinian people. He published more than 20 collections of poetry, which have been translated into many languages (although few of them into English), and was the Arab world’s best-selling poet. His poems are engraved in the hearts of millions of Palestinians and his words have been shouted by anti-occupation demonstrators in the streets of Ramallah, Damascus and Cairo. Many have been set to music, including "I yearn for my mother’s bread. " Mahmoud Darwish was born in 1941 in al Birweh, an Arab village in the Acre region which became part of the new state of Israel in 1948. His family fled to Lebanon, although they returned the following year. Darwish published his first poetry collection, Asafir bila ajniha ("Wingless Birds", 1960) while still a teenager and soon made a reputation as a "poet of the resistance". more.. e-mail
200 to be married in Khan Younis Mass wedding Ma’an News Agency 7/31/2008 Gaza - Ma’an - A mass wedding, that will see 200 brides and grooms married, will take place in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip on Thursday evening. The event is organised by the Islamic charity association. Ahmed Abu E’layan the Chairman of the Committee supervising the ceremony said, "were eager to carry out this wedding ceremony successfully, it is a great event in Khan Younis. " The celebration will be held at the city’s Tennis Club where scouts will play music for the festival after the prayer at the Grand Mosque in Khan Younis. The organizers called on all Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip to participate in this huge wedding which is the first of its kind in Khan Younis. more.. e-mail
Medical Aid for Palestine Concert in London Mary Rizzo, Palestine Think Tank 7/23/2008 Hear wonderful musicians, have a marvelous night out, and contribute to humanitarian projects that help Palestinian people to develop rehabilitation centres, health care facilities and places of aggregation for youth. MAP siteTUES JULY 29TH @ THE 606 CLUB 7. 30 pm London Call 0207 352 5953 to book a table for dinnerTickets £15 www. 606club. comJoin us for a gala night of eclectic music, gastronomic delights & surprise special guests! Proceeds will go to aid those suffering in Palestine & refugee camps in the region. MAP UK registered charity no: 1045315 Celloman Sensuous, funky flights of melody from an extraordinary cello virtuoso. Ivan Hussey has featured on countless hits & albums including the work of Mick Jagger, Maxi Priest & Incognito. Tonight he performs his stunning, solo set fusing middle-eastern sounds with classical melodies to hair-raising effect. more.. e-mail
Improvising to the sound of slamming door Dalila Mahdawi, Daily Star 7/24/2008 BEIRUT: Jazz may not be the first genre that comes to mind when eavesdropping on Beirut’s music scene. An evening stuck in traffic adjacent the city’s multitude of night spots suggests the standard fare ranges from traditional Middle Eastern melodies - from divas like Fairuz and Umm Kulthoum to pop tarts like Haifa Wehbe - to the Western pop, rap and electronica preferred by some younger folk. That said, if you’ve strolled through popular quarters like Hamra or Gemayzeh over the last few months, you may have heard the sound of upbeat, sonorous jazz rhythms percolating from venues like the Zawaya and Blue Note cafes or BarLouie. If so, Beirut Be Bop! may be to blame. The most-recent addition to the city’s venerable tradition of hybrid jazz ensembles, this laidback group has been a mutable musical feast since it first saw the light of day last September. more.. e-mail
Palestine Youth Orchestra rehearses for regional tour focusing on Jerusalem Palestine News Network 7/20/2008 Ramallah / PNN - The Palestine Youth Orchestra of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music is in the midst of their training in preparation for a round of musical performances in Palestine, Jordan and Syria. The training is taking place at Ramallah’s Birzeit University in a type of summer camp between 17 and 26 July. For the tour and local performances they will accompany an orchestra from the University of Bonn in Germany. Eighty young musicians are rehearsing a program that will tour regionally under the title, "Jerusalem is the Song. "The Palestine Youth Orchestra has already played three times in Amman, Jordan, culminating in last year’s performance in Bonn. This year will be different because the focus is on Jerusalem. The Director of the Bonn project said, "My mission in Palestine has a different target. more.. e-mail
Al Muharraqi painting exhibition in Abu Dhabi Middle East Online 7/16/2008 ABU DHABI - The Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation in association with Meem Gallery, Ghaf Art Gallery and the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage, proudly present an exhibition of the works of Abdulla Al Muharraqi, featuring a journey with the artist. Abdulla Al Muharraqi is recognized as being the founding father of Modern Arab Art in The Gulf. Born in Bahrain, his work is held in the highest esteem by the leading collectors throughout the GCC. The artist specializes in depicting local Gulf scenes and traditions, mingling realism with warmth. Muharraqi shares Bahrain and the Gulf with the world through his paintings. Over the years, he has painted more than one thousand oils, seventy of which he keeps as part of his private collection. His works, whether in romantic realism or simple cubism, reflect a style that’s instantly recognizable by art connoisseurs. more.. e-mail
Living alongside the enemy Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, The Guardian 7/10/2008 Coexistence projects bring Jews and Arabs together within Israel, but it is much harder to bridge the larger gap between Israel and the Palestinian territories - In the circles of Middle East peacemaking it is called "coexistence", the often difficult and usually pioneering work that brings together Jews and Arabs, treats them as equals and tries to bridge their differences. Within Israel it still happens a lot, despite the terrible violence of the second intifada and the flagging political peace process. There are organisations that run bilingual Jewish-Arabic schools, including one in Jerusalem. There are joint business projects, musical ventures and even comedy shows. In Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, the small Yaffa cafe and bookshop became the first store in the mixed Jewish and Arab city to sell Arabic books since 1948. more.. e-mail
The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Ramallah hosts prestigious Marcel Khalife contest this week Ma’an News Agency 7/5/2008 Ramallah – Ma’an – The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Ramallah is hosting the Marcel Khalife Music Competition this year. 2008 marks the first time in the competition’s history that Arabic song will be included as a category. The song competitions will be held on Sunday 6 July. Other divisions include Arabic instrumental music, piano, winds, strings and guitar. Besides the instrumental and vocal divisions, musicians are divided up in to four groups for age and ability, with participants from ages 6 to 30. Each division has a cash prize of between 100 and 1,000 USD. According to Buthayna Hamdan, media coordinator of the Conservatory, the singing competition could open new horizons for the local music scene, since there are many excellent singers who have not had the chance to be recognized. more.. e-mail
Soothing the Savage Breast Sanford F. Kuvin, MIFTAH 7/5/2008 Can music be an instrument for peace? That’s what the Sounding Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival hopes for, as it offers some of the season’s best free live classical music in the city. The festival brings together 75 top European, Israeli and Arab musicians for over 20 concerts to mixed audiences in a wide variety of venues – churches in the Old City, historic sites in West Jerusalem and Palestinian villages. In spite of the obvious difficulties entailed in having concerts on both sides of the Green Line, the festival, which runs through 5 July, offers a decent intercultural opportunity for Jews, Christians and Arabs to share the borderless atmosphere of music at its best. The individual behind this initiative is the Austrian cellist Erich Oskar Huetter. With funding from the European Union, this extraordinarily talented musician has embarked on a seemingly mission-impossible task of bringing more.. e-mail
Soothing the savage breast Sanford F. Kuvin, Ha’aretz 6/26/2008 Can music be an instrument for peace? That’s what the Sounding Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival hopes for, as it offers some of the season’s best free live classical music in the city. The festival brings together 75 top European, Israeli and Arab musicians for over 20 concerts to mixed audiences in a wide variety of venues - churches in the Old City, historic sites in West Jerusalem and Palestinian villages. In spite of the obvious difficulties entailed in having concerts on both sides of the Green Line, the festival, which runs through July 5, offers a decent intercultural opportunity for Jews, Christians and Arabs to share the borderless atmosphere of music at its best. The individual behind this initiative is the Austrian cellist Erich Oskar Huetter. With funding from the European Union, this extraordinarily talented musician has embarked on a seemingly mission-impossible. . . more.. e-mail
Jazz is my Jihad Haitham Sabbah, Palestine Think Tank 6/20/2008 Jazz musician Gilad Atzmon reflects upon his roots and his inspiration and how his activities as a supporter of the Palestinian cause and his art influence one another. His music can be seen as an integral part of his political message. It’s not sloganeering or repeating formulas, but it can be seen as a weaving and unweaving of threads, digging into the reservoir of personal and collective dreams, hopes and fears. This British documentary, "Jazz is my Jihad" presents a viewpoint into the artistic and personal journey undertaken by Gilad Atzmon. [end]
American rapper Snoop Dogg slated to perform in Ramat Gan Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 6/13/2008 The demand for foreign stars to perform in Israeli venues is rising, and this demand is being met by local entertainment producers and accompanied by high ticket prices. A wave of American artists is meant to arrive in Israel this summer and upcoming fall to perform before a music-thirsty Israeli audience. According to his official website, world renowned rapper Snoop Dogg is due to perform in Israel on September 18th. Snoop Dogg joins an impressive list of foreign stars that have either visited Israel over the past year or are scheduled to arrive in the coming months. R eports have indicated that the American rapper signed a contract with an Israeli agent who lives abroad, but still tried to extract higher offers from local entertainment producers in Israel. The Ramat Gan stadium where Snoop Dogg is expected to perform declined comment. more.. e-mail
Thousands attend 10th annual Gay Pride parade in Tel Aviv Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 6/7/2008 Gay Pride paradeThousands of people attended the tenth annual Gay Pride Parade in Tel Aviv Friday, to celebrate the gay community’s struggle for equality and to christen the center for the gay community situated in the city’s Meir park (Gan Meir). "The center symbolizes an amazing turning point in the history of the gay community, and our activities will now have fertile ground from which to grow and flourish," Army Radio quoted one of the parade participants as saying. The Tel Aviv municipality donated NIS 250,000 for the event, which was scheduled to commence at 12 P. M. at Gan Meir. The parade was then to head out toward Bograshov Street, turning onto Ben Yehuda Steet, then Ben Gurion Boulevard and finally ending at Gordon beach, where a host of musicians such as Ivri Lider, Maya Buskila and Keren Peles were set to perform followed by a party on into the night. more.. e-mail
World Council of Churches to create living clock: 60 minutes for 60 years of Al Nakba Palestine News Network 6/6/2008 Bethlehem / PNN - Beginning at 6:30 pm on Sunday, the World Council of Churches will host what it refers to as a "Living Clock." A circle will be created in Manager Square between the Church of Nativity and the Bethlehem Mosque marking 60 years of Al Nakba. At least that many people will be in attendance, creating 60 minutes for 60 years. The World Council of Churches program follows:The arrival and setup: 18:301. Loudspeaker: music It’s Time for Palestine 2. People carrying numbers 1-60 form a circle, with the numbers 41 and 60 colored in red. To form the circle they initially hold each other’s hand. The central point of the clock is indicated on the ground with chalk. We will care that different ages are represented in the circle. 3. 20-23 more people will form a hand, carrying the letters It’s Time for Palestine. more.. e-mail
Rolling with the Na Nachs, the most high-spirited and newest Hasidic sect Adam Molner, Ha’aretz 5/25/2008 There is no escaping them. They have left their mark everywhere in Israel, in the form of a cryptic mantra painted in bold Hebrew lettering on security fences, sleek skyscrapers, graveyard walls, freeway billboards and sheer mountain cliffs. Dressed in characteristic woven white skullcaps, adherents perform leaping dances on street corners in the secular bastion of Tel Aviv, to techno-Hassidic music blasting from vans bearing the slogan "Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me’uman," which has informally lent its name to the newest of Hasidic sects. The Na Nachs, as some of the group call themselves, are an offshoot of the Bratslav Hassidim, followers of the late Rebbe Nachman (1772-1810), great-grandson of the founder of Hasidism. But what separates Na Nachs from other Bratslavers is their belief that a mysterious letter found in 1962 by Rabbi Israel. . . more.. e-mail
Bethlehem University student elections: Fateh clear winner before polls even opened Palestine News Network 4/16/2008 Kristen Ess - The polls finally closed as of late Wednesday afternoon in the most obnoxious student elections to date at Bethlehem University. Fateh won 18 seats and gunshots were fired as students cheered and music blasted in the streets. Days upon days of students chanting, "Shabiba, Shabiba, Shabiba!" the Fateh Youth Party, in the streets and on campus, have left the university district with a collective headache. They are taking full advantage of the larger current political strife. Students are walking through neighbor’s gardens, sporting their party gear. Since early this morning the University has blasted disco music. They are still shouting, "Shabiba!" Palestinian Authority security has the streets cordoned off. The Hamas party boycotted the entire affair. Certainly they knew they had no chance at winning, considering the international campaign against the party at large. more.. e-mail
ADACH presents live tribute to Arabic music Middle East Online 4/16/2008 ABU DHABI - The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) organizes for the first time ever in the Emirati capital, a festival of Arabic music which will be held May 1-6, 2008 at the Cultural Foundation. The ADACH has chosen 2008 as the first year of a modest beginning, which aims to offer an eclectic mix of sounds and styles from a uniquely complex musical heritage. The ADACH aims to make the festival an annual event, to expand and ensure the artistic calendar of every music lover in the Arab World includes Abu Dhabi every May. The first evening belongs to Omar Khairat, the second to the Al Fayha Choir, the third to Furat Qaddouri and Tariq & Julia Banzi, the fourth to Jahida Wehbe, the fifth to Rida Popular Arts Group and Nadia Mustafa and the final evening to Farida. Encompassing a history of more than two thousand years, the music of the Arabs is unique among the world’s various musical cultures. more.. e-mail
Ramallah hair show defies occupation Kristen Ess, Palestine News Network 4/9/2008 The beat goes on in a Ramallah hair show, but without Gaza. The stage is filled with young women having their hair cut by what many consider to be artists. The announcer is shouting to be heard over the pounding disco music, "This is Palestine!" The stylist on display is from Nablus. There are people at this hair show, invite only, from inside the 1948, Israeli, boundaries, from Syria’s occupied Golan Heights even. But the Gazans did not come. They were not allowed. It’s a hair show, a fashion show; it’s something to ensure that more people who care about hair cuts, and a certain semblance of normalcy, might have work as the economy continues to plummet due to Israeli occupation measures. The director of the entire program takes a minute from his front row seat to speak about what is the point of this event. more.. e-mail
Marcel Khalifa and Edward Said Conservatory support Palestinian music scene Palestine News Network 3/21/2008 PNN -- The Marcel Khalifa annual competition is accepting applications for July 2008. Although many Palestinians cannot attend the competition due to Israeli-imposed travel restrictions, musicians are finding their way around it. "We will use a closed circuit television system for the musicians who are not allowed to enter Jerusalem: those from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as musicians from the Golan Heights," representatives of the Edward Said Conservatory of Music announced on Friday. The Conservatory was established in 1993 and has centers in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah with some 550 students. They study classical, eastern and western styles of music. This year’s competition will include several categories in this prestigious event, including Eastern, Piano, Strings and Guitar. New to the categories this year is Arabic Singing. more.. e-mail
Striking an ancient chord Hagai Hitron, Ha’aretz 2/14/2008 Sounds, archaeological finds and scientific hypotheses all play major roles in an exhibition entitled "Sounds of Ancient Music," which opened last week at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem. Focusing on musical developments in ancient Sumeria, Babylon, Assyria and other cultures of the Ancient Near East, through the periods of the Kingdom of Judea, Greece and the Roman Empire, the exhibition features 137 objects - among them, rare musical instruments that have been preserved from antiquity, as well as full-sized replicas of instruments from those early eras. Among other items on display are a flute, fragments of which were discovered in a burial cave in the French Hill neighborhood of Jerusalem and dating back to the Second Temple period, as well as the well-known stone from that same period bearing the inscription, "To the House of Trumpeting to the k. more..
Israeli universities cease researching Palestinian musicology Tamara Traubmann, Ha’aretz 1/24/2008 Professors emeritae Dalia Cohen and Ruth Katz began studying Palestinian music in the 1960s. While Israel’s Arab population was still under military rule, they traveled to the villages of the Galilee and the Triangle and recorded performances of traditional music. The music was passed down in an oral tradition and was rarely written down. In their laboratory at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the musicologists developed the Jerusalem, or Cohen-Katz, Melograph. This mechanical musical transcription device created a graph that provided precise information about the pitch, duration and volume of sounds. "Notation is a Western system of writing that refers to Western musical materials," Cohen explains. "Most non-Western cultures do not have a notation system, and we don’t know exactly what the raw materials of the music are." more..
With medieval manuscripts forgotten, musicology goes into in drug rehab Tamara Traubmann, Ha’aretz 1/24/2008 Professors emeritae Dalia Cohen and Ruth Katz began studying Palestinian music in the 1960s. While Israel’s Arab population was still under military rule, they traveled to the villages of the Galilee and the Triangle and recorded performances of traditional music. The music was passed down in an oral tradition and was rarely written down. In their laboratory at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the musicologists developed the Jerusalem, or Cohen-Katz, Melograph. This mechanical musical transcription device created a graph that provided precise information about the pitch, duration and volume of sounds." Notation is a Western system of writing that refers to Western musical materials," Cohen explains. "Most non-Western cultures do not have a notation system, and we don’t know exactly what the raw materials of the music are." more..
Palestinian hip-hop doc premieres at Sundance Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 1/22/2008 PARK CITY, Utah: The Palestinian hip-hop group DAM, which has spawned a cult following and a small army of imitators, stars in a new film about the underground music scene in the Middle East, which premiered on Friday at the Sundance Film Festival. "Slingshot Hip Hop," by director Jackie Salloum, offers a peek into contemporary life in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, as well as the Middle East hip-hop culture inspired by the political positions of American rappers such as Chuck D, Tupac Shakur and Eminem. Rapper Mahmoud Shalabi, from the village of Akka, is featured in the documentary, as is female hip-hop duo Arapeyat. The movie also highlights the work of the group Palestinian Rapperz (PR) among others. In the film, Palestinian rap groups offer an alternative form of resistance against the Israeli occupation. Some critics suggest that the new music simply reinforces longstanding cultural differences. more..
Local music man picks up where war cut him off Kaelen Wilson-Goldie, Daily Star 1/11/2008 Interview BEIRUT: The Lebanese capital is littered with the remains of young companies and upstart arts initiatives that broke up and fell apart during the war with Israel 18 months ago. One of the more obvious among them is the Beirut edition of Time Out, the monthly arts and entertainment magazine that published its first issue in April 2006 and its last in July 2006. The young magazine ceased publication when the bombardment and siege began and never resumed. Another casualty, less commonly commented upon but similar in that funders fleeing the country precipitated its closure, is the local music label Mooz Records, which was the hottest thing happening in Beirut two years ago and is now no more - though the spirit behind it might just be revived next week with the debut of a monthly music festival dubbed Beirut Is A-Live. more..
Jumping into cold water Tamar Sukenik, Ha’aretz 1/3/2008 Last week the character played by Mira Awad appeared for the first time on Sayed Kashua’s "Arab Labor" TV series on Channel 2. But the attention of the 32-year-old actress is already focused elsewhere. In guitarist Amos Hadani’s small studio in downtown Tel Aviv she is completing the recording of her debut album, which will comprise songs whose lyrics and music she has written herself, mostly in Arabic. The long road she has traveled until arriving at the final stages of the album began during her days as a student at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat Hasharon. "Eight years ago I already had demos ready and I tried to interest several people in them. But it didn’t really work out, and at a certain stage I got tired of trying and abandoned music for a number of years," she recalls. more..
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![Daniel Barenboim [right] frequently uses his music to challenge fellow Israelis - BBC, AP photo](../images/164_39356415_baren203body.jpg)
